Harry Potter & Daphne Greengrass: The Love Contract
by JediRhydon
Summary: It's the summer before Harry's fourth year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he is preparing for his trip to the Quidditch World Cup. But now, as he prepares to go with the Weasley's to the QWC, he learns from Dumbledore, that not only does he also have a godmother, but his parents also placed him in a betrothal marriage contract with a girl. Full summary inside!
1. Characters

Good:

Harry Potter.

Daphne Greengrass.

Ron Weasley.

Hermione Granger.

Neville Longbottom.

Tracey Davis.

Blaise Zabini.

Susan Bones.

Cyrus Greengrass.

Elizabeth Greengrass.

Astoria Greengrass.

Arthur Weasley.

Molly Weasley.

Bill Weasley.

Charlie Weasley.

Percy Weasley.

Fred & George Weasley.

Ginny Weasley.

Albus Dumbledore.

Minerva McGonagall.

Severus Snape.

Hagrid.

Sirius Black.

Remus Lupin.

Amelia Bones.

Nymphadora Tonks.

Cedric Diggory.

Fleur Delacour.

Viktor Krum.

Theodore Nott.

Bad:

Lord Voldemort.

Draco Malfoy.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

Vincent Crabbe.

Gregory Goyle.

Pansy Parkinson.

Peter Pettigrew.

Delores Umbitch (... oops, I mean) Umbridge.

Ships:

Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass.

Ron Weasley and Tracey Davis.

Hermione Granger and Blaise Zabini.

Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.

Ginny Weasley and Astoria Greengrass.

Sirius Black and Amelia Bones.

Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. (Note to self: Don't call Tonks "Nymphadora" unless you want to risk being hexed to the limit of your sanity!)

Potter Family Friends and Allies:

Greengrass Family.

Weasley Family.

Hermione Granger.

Longbottom Family.

Bones Family.

Davis Family.

Sirius Black.

Remus Lupin.

Nymphadora Tonks.

Minerva McGonagall.

Order of the Phoenix.

Cedric Diggory.

Fleur Delacour.

Viktor Krum.

Gryffindor House.

Hufflepuff House.

Ravenclaw House.

Slytherin House (Pro-Muggle and Pro-Harry Potter supporters).

Semi-Allies/Semi-Enemies:

Albus Dumbledore.

Severus Snape.

Ministry of Magic.

Enemies:

Lord Voldemort.

Malfoy Family.

Lestrange Family.

Crabbe Family.

Goyle Family.

Parkinson Family.

Death Eaters.

Peter Pettigrew.

Minister Cornelius Fudge.

Delores Umbitch (... WHOOPS) Umbridge.

Slytherin House (Pro-Voldemort supporters).

Familiars:

Harry Potter: Hedwig the Owl.

Sorted Houses:

Harry Potter: Gryffindor.

Daphne Greengrass: Slytherin.

Ron Weasley: Gryffindor.

Hermione Granger: Gryffindor.

Neville Longbottom: Gryffindor.

Tracey Davis: Slytherin.

Susan Bones: Hufflepuff.

Astoria Greengrass: Slytherin.

Blaise Zabini: Slytherin.

New Marauders:

1\. Harry Potter.

2\. Daphne Greengrass.

3\. Ron Weasley.

4\. Hermione Granger.

5\. Neville Longbottom.

6\. Tracey Davis.

7\. Blaise Zabini.

Horcruxes, moment, place, and methods of being destroyed, and by whom:

1\. Diary: Stabbed and destroyed with a Basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets by Harry Potter at the end of the 1992-1993 school year.

2\. Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw:

3\. Ring of Marvolo Gaunt:

4\. Locket of Salazar Slytherin:

5\. Harry Potter:

6\. Cup of Helga Hufflepuff:

7\. Nagini the Snake:

_**List will be prone to change in the future!**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Summary: It's the summer before Harry's fourth year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he is preparing for his trip to the Quidditch World Cup. He's recently learned that:**_

_**1) He has a godfather who was wrongly convicted of a crime he never committed.**_

_**2) The man who was friends with his parents and was truly responsible for betraying them to Voldemort, was still alive and escaped.**_

_**3) He's met a man who was both his professor and a close friend with his father and mother, in spite of his "Furry Condition".**_

_**4) Acquired a special map that his father, and his three friends, one of which eventually betrays him, along with his mother and framed his godfather, that shows everyone in Hogwarts castle.**_

_**But now, as he prepares to go with the Weasley's to the Quidditch World Cup, he learns from Dumbledore, that not only does he also have a godmother, but his parents also placed him in a betrothal marriage contract with a girl. Can Harry learn to accept the contract, and eventually come to love the girl? And can the two learn to overcome their differences, and accept that they must marry at their fifteenth birthdays? And if they do, can they face the hardships that will face them, when it comes to Harry Potter?**_

"Speech"

'_Thoughts_'

_"Parseltongue"_

_**Writing/Reading**_

**"YELLING"**

_Number 4, Privet Drive, Surrey Little Whinging_

Harry Potter was sitting on the edge of his bed in his room, at Number 4 Privet Drive. Typically the boy with messy raven black hair and emerald green eyes would view his life at the residence of his relatives; his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and cousin Dudley Dursley, as a miserable prison, rather than a home. Fortunately for the green eyed boy, he was going to be going to the Burrow, the home of the Weasley Family in a week. Harry enjoyed being with the Weasley's, especially since they always treated him like he was part of their family. The Weasley's were exactly what Harry imagined what an actual family would look like: happy, loving, accepting, loyal to each other, and always there for each other.

Harry had returned from his school, Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, finishing out his Third Year at Hogwarts. Harry's Third Year turned out to be quite an interesting one.

1) Hogwarts was temporarily being inhabited by dark creatures called Dementors; creatures that served as guards of the Wizard prison known as Azkaban, and fed on people's happiest memories, and generated deep feelings of depression; because of an escaped convict named Sirius Black, whom everyone believed was after Harry, and they took a great interest in him, making him relive the moment his mother was killed by Voldemort.

2) He discovered that Sirius Black was actually his godfather, and was falsely accused of betraying his parents, turning them and himself over to Lord Voldemort, and killing the man, who was also a close friend of his parents, that was really responsible along with twelve other Muggles; and that he was an animagi, a wizard with the ability to transform into an animal, in the form of a large black dog,

3) He met a man named Remus Lupin, who turned out to be the best Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts thus far, that was also a close friend of his parents, who had the unfortunate illness of being a werewolf; who also taught him how to cast the Patronus Charm, which was the only means of defense against the Dementors.

4) He helped his godfather and Remus reveal that the man who was truly responsible for betraying his parents, Peter Pettigrew, was still alive, after living as Ron's pet rat Scabbers for twelve years; even though the incompetent Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, didn't believe him.

5) He came to possess a special map that could show you wherever anyone in Hogwarts was at any given time, which was made by his father, godfather, Remus, and Peter during their student years at Hogwarts named the Marauders Map.

6) With the help of his best friend Hermione Granger, he used a special device called a Time Turner, and traveled back in time to save his godfather from the Dementors with the Patronus Charm, successfully casting it, and creating a corporeal Patronus in the shape of a Stag, which was the animagus form of his father.

All in all, Harry's Third Year was an interesting one. When Harry learned that he had a godfather, and that he was framed for the crime of his parent's deaths, Harry had a short time to speak with his godfather. Sirius had offered to give Harry a proper home, away from the Dursley's, and a great life with his godfather, and it all depended on finding and turning the true traitor, Peter Pettigrew, in alive; unfortunately because the night they caught Pettigrew fell on a full moon, Remus transformed into a werewolf, and didn't take his wolfsbane potion, allowing Pettigrew to use the moment of distraction to use his animagus powers to turn into his animagus rat form, and escape. Because Pettigrew escaped, and the fact that Cornelius Fudge was unwilling to believe him and his two best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley that Pettigrew was alive, Sirius was forced to live as a fugitive. Now the only chance that Sirius ever has of being cleared of all charges and declared a free man, was if Pettigrew was found, and captured. Until then, Harry had no choice but to stay with the Dursleys.

But today, Harry was excited because he would be leaving in a week for the Weasleys to spend the rest of the summer with them, and attend the Quidditch World Cup with them. And better yet, Mr. Weasley, along with Ron, and Ron's brothers Fred, George, and Percy Weasley were going to be coming to pick him up. Though there was one thing that was nagging at him in the back of his mind; how were they going to get him? He remembered in his second year that he and Ron had to "borrow" Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia to get to Hogwarts, on account of the fact that the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters was blocked by Dobby the House Elf, which then resulted in Harry and Ron to drive all the way to Hogwarts, only to crash into the Whomping Willow tree on the Hogwarts grounds. So he couldn't help but wonder how the Weasley's were going to be able to come and pick him up.

This line of thought was broken however, as he heard the doorbell ring, followed by a knock on the door, confusing Harry. The Weasleys weren't due to pick him up until next week, did they decide to come get him early or something? As quickly as he could, Harry got up off of his bed and started to run down the stairs, hoping to get to the door before one of his relatives did. Unfortunately for Harry, his Aunt Petunia was able to get to the door first, dressed in her Sunday best, and grasped the doorknob. Harry's Uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley, both of them also in their Sunday bests as they were expecting a family photographer to take their family picture, with the exception of Harry since they never included him, were sitting in the living room looking over at Harry. Just as Petunia looked at him, it was with a sneer and hate clear on her face and in her eyes; ever since he was merely a baby that was left on their doorstep, the Dursleys had treated Harry like he was nothing but dirt to them.

"Freak, get the door!" She hissed, venom and disgust clear and present in her voice, as she turned and walked away.

"Yes Aunt Petunia." Harry replied, rolling his eyes at his aunts back as she walked away.

As Harry grabbed the door handle, once again he wondered how it was possible that his mother, who was supposed to be one of the most kindest people who ever lived, ended up being related to someone like his aunt Petunia Dursley née Evans. His aunt was filled with nothing but anger and hatred towards the memory of his mother, just as his Hogwarts potions professor Severus Snape was towards his father; Harry couldn't help but wonder that if Snape wasn't magical, could it have been possible that Aunt Petunia married him, instead of Uncle Vernon? Harry shuddered heavily as that thought ran through his mind; the mere thought of Severus Snape being his uncle was not a pleasant one. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Harry turned the knob and opened the door.

The look on Harry's face quickly went to utter confusion, because instead of Mr. Weasley and his sons, standing on his door step, was his school headmaster Albus Dumbledore and a familiar but unknown pretty looking girl. Instead of his usual wizard robes, Dumbledore was dressed in a stylish looking purple Muggle suit, complete with a matching fedora. As for the girl, she looked to be Harry's age, with shoulder length silky blonde hair, and sparkling sapphire blue eyes that captivated Harry's emerald green eyes. Her skin was a light, creamy complexion, and she had a kind looking face, and full lips and a cute looking nose; although at the moment, it looked to Harry that her face was showing indications that she wanted to be anywhere but in Number 4 Privet Drive, which he couldn't blame her for as he too didn't want to be there the majority of the time. Her face essentially gave off an icy look, but Harry figured that she had to have been a witch, since she was with Dumbledore. However, despite the icy complexion of her face, her eyes clearly showed a look of curiosity, as she looked at Harry.

"Ah, hello Harry, may we come in please?" Said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling as he broke Harry and the girl out of their moment of silence.

"Oh, sure thing Professor Dumbledore!" He replied, quickly recovering as he allowed the two to enter the house, quickly glancing at the girl.

Before she entered the house, Harry was only able to get a look at her face, and a portion of her neck since she was looking around from Dumbledore's back. Now that he had a clear view of her, Harry was able to get a good look at the girl's body. Although she was thirteen years old, the girl showed early signs of developing an hourglass figure, the kind that a lot of guys liked on a girl; her hips had a nice curve to them, which only helped the shape of her bum, and her chest was particularly big. Harry figured that, if this girl did attend Hogwarts which she had to, he probably never saw this growing figure due to the school uniform and heavy cloaks. He was still racking his brain trying to figure out who she was, and which House she was in, because she was definitely familiar; one thing that he did know was that she was not a Gryffindor girl, otherwise he would've recognized her easily. So she had to have been from one of the other three Houses.

Hoping not to get into trouble, Harry closed the door, and turned back to his school headmaster and the girl. In that moment, he finally began to develop a possible identity to who she was. Although he wasn't sure yet, he thought it was likely that she was Daphne Greengrass, a girl in his year from Slytherin House. If he was correct in who he thought she was, Harry did have to wonder: why did Professor Dumbledore decide to visit Number 4 Privet Drive, with a girl in his year from Slytherin House?

"Harry, why don't you escort Ms. Greengrass and I to the sitting room where your family are, and we can proceed with proper introductions," Dumbledore said, confirming the girl's identity, and obviously ignoring Harry's cringe at the word 'family'. "And afterwards, I'll take the two of you to the Weasley family's home."

Harry looked at his headmaster like he had grown a second head. If there was one thing that Harry knew in regards to the Weasleys, it was the fact that they were not particular fans of anyone who was in Slytherin; Mr. Weasley in regards to Lucius Malfoy, and Ron in regards to Slytherin House as a whole. So for Harry to hear his headmaster say that he was going to take both him and Daphne Greengrass to the Burrow, the home of the Weasley Family, was very much a big shock to him.

_'I wonder why he wants to take both me and Greengrass to the Burrow, especially given the fact that the Weasleys aren't fans of Slytherins.'_ Harry thought to himself. _'Especially Ron.'_

"Professor Dumbledore, but with all due respect, I think you forgot something," Daphne Greengrass said for the first time, her voice sounding almost angelic to Harry. "But my mother specifically asked that you take Potter and I back to my home, and that my mother and I will take him to the Weasleys in a week. My father had already contacted Mr. Weasley, so that he would be aware of the change of plans."

Now that was a shock to Harry; why would a Slytherin girl's mother ask that he spend a week at their home? Especially since most of the Slytherin students hated him?

"Ahh, yes you're quite correct Ms. Greengrass," Dumbledore said contentiously. "Please forgive me, I must've forgot about that. Anyway Harry, if you'll please lead the way."

"Sure thing Professor, follow me." He said, gesturing to his headmaster and Daphne to follow him; though as he did so, he chanced a look at Daphne Greengrass, and they both shared the same look.

A look that said they had no doubt that Dumbledore did not forget.

Harry led the two guests to the sitting room where his relatives were waiting. As Harry led the two guests to the sitting room, he started to get a little concerned, in regards to how his relatives, particularly his uncle, were going to treat Dumbledore and Daphne. He wasn't really concerned about Dumbledore, he figured that his headmaster could take his uncles prejudicial tirade, but he wasn't sure how Daphne Greengrass, a pureblood Slytherin student, would handle it. As soon Harry entered his uncle's view, Vernon sneered at him, like always whenever Harry came into his view, though the sneer diminished somewhat when Dumbledore came in view, but it was still present.

As Daphne, after being offered a seat by Harry, sat down she looked at Dumbledore and couldn't help but noticed that for some reason, her headmaster had a smile on his face when Harry's uncle sneered at him. Granted it was small, and his beard mostly covered it up, but she was still able to spot it, given her training from her mother and father as an heiress to an old pureblood magical family. She looked up at Harry, and nodded her head, indicating that she was thanking him for the seat on the sofa, to which he inclined his head, to show her that he understood. As he took his seat next to her, she looked around her surroundings, but was actually observing Harry's relatives.

Like many students in Hogwarts, Daphne was raised being told stories about Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, of how after the Dark Lords defeat, he was sent to live with his mother's Muggle sister. However her mother and father didn't just tell her and her little sister Astoria, about Potter and You-Know-Who, but also about James and Lily Potter who's involvements were almost always left out, and how the Greengrass and Potter families were old family friends and allies for many years. Daphne knew that her mother was made as Harry Potter's godmother by his mother, and in return her mother made Lily Potter her godmother; but there was always one thing that nagged her. If her mother, Elizabeth Grace Greengrass Née Warren, was Harry Potter's godmother, why was he sent to his Muggle relatives from his mother's side of his family, and not to her mother? Especially since her mother always spoke of how Lily Potter's sister hated anything to do with magic.

Daphne's line of thought was eventually broken when she felt Harry sit down next to her, shared a look with him, making eye contact with his striking emerald green eyes, and the both of them looked back at their headmaster. Although she was barely able to hide it, Daphne couldn't help but feel heat rising up, and her cheeks blushed after looking into Harry Potter's emerald green eyes. Similar to how Harry was proud of his eyes that he inherited from his mother, Daphne was proud of her sapphire blue eyes that were given to her by her mother. In a way, it gave Daphne something in common with the Gryffindor Golden Boy. Besides, she did have to be honest with herself that she had begun to develop a crush on Harry Potter, the potentially _real Harry Potter,_ at some point in the second half of her third year at Hogwarts.

"Now then, down to business," Dumbledore began, drawing the attention of Harry, Daphne, and the Dursleys. "Harry, I don't know if the two of you know each other, but this is Miss Daphne Greengrass."

Harry looked at Daphne, and nodded his head to her, and she returned the gesture. The truth was that Harry did know Daphne, though only by name, and passing by each other in the halls and potions class at Hogwarts. Harry felt that Daphne might be a good person to be friends with, though he couldn't help but start to wonder if he was limiting himself from making more friends at Hogwarts, other than his two best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The more he thought about it, Harry figured that perhaps his upbringing was the cause for lack of more friends in Hogwarts; Harry still remembered how Dudley would chase away anybody who tried to be friends with Harry. There was also the, admittedly, ridiculous feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin House that seemed to keep most Gryffindor and Slytherin students from befriending each other, and then there was Ron.

It was a very well-known fact to everyone in Hogwarts, both student and teacher alike, that Ron had a massive dislike for anyone in Slytherin House. In Ron's eyes, every single dark wizard and witch came solely from Slytherin, while the other three Houses produced good wizards and witches, something that Harry knew better. After all, there was Quirrel in his first year, and he was originally from Ravenclaw, and there was Peter Pettigrew, the man who betrayed Harry's parents, who was from Gryffindor, and both of them had turned to the dark side. Plus, if Harry remembered correctly, Merlin was sorted into Slytherin House when he attended Hogwarts, and he fought against evil and the dark arts of magic. So even if there were a few bad individuals in Slytherin, surely there were also some good people too. It was this thought that made Harry decide that he would start making more friends with other students at school, and he wouldn't care about what House they were in, whether it was Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or even Slytherin.

"Now Harry, I was recently informed about this, but apparently it seems that at the height of the last wizarding war, your parents and Ms. Greengrass' parents made a betrothal contract between the two of you," Dumbledore continued, breaking Harry out of his thoughts. "Therefore meaning, that you and Ms. Greengrass are due to be married to each other, at a specific time and age."

At the moment that Dumbledore said that, Harry had his attention completely on Dumbledore, while Daphne had her attention on both Harry, and Dumbledore. In doing so, she was able to learn two things: Harry's reaction suggested that he was completely unaware of their betrothal, which only helped her a little bit because she was unaware of the betrothal between them as well, until her parents told her a week after their third year was finished. Then there was Professor Dumbledore's reaction; again, Daphne was barely able to spot it due to Dumbledore's beard, but she was able to detect that her headmaster had a sneer on his face. She was a bit concerned about this fact, and wondered if Dumbledore had something else planned for Harry, only for it to be ruined by the betrothal contract between her and Harry.

Harry was completely shocked by what he had learned. He never thought that his mother and father would have put him into something that would have taken away his free choice of who he would be with. Not to mention the fact that the person that he is now supposed to be betrothed to is a Slytherin girl.

_'Oh boy, Ron is not going to be happy about this!' _Harry thought to himself.

At this point, Vernon Dursley finally decided to make himself talk. His face was flushed purple, as if he was going to burst out of anger. Which to Harry, was more than likely.

**"NOW WAIT JUST A BLOODY MINUTE!"**

Harry, Daphne, Dumbledore, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley all turned to look at the Dursley patriarch. One thing was certain: whatever he was going to say, wasn't going to be nice.

"I don't know what you think you're doing, but I refuse to put up with another freak in this house!" Vernon yelled, not caring about insulting the Greengrass heiress.

Daphne simply raised her eyebrow, as if out of contempt rather than insult, though she did notice the flinch in Harry's body. She wondered if Harry's home life was not what Draco Malfoy claimed it was; granted she never listened nor believed to what he had to say about Harry Potter anyway. The truth was, she respected Harry, and her family were old family friends with the Potter Family, though she suspected that Harry probably didn't know about that.

"Mister Dursley, I assure you that I am not trying anything funny," Dumbledore said, trying to reason with the man. "I am simply here to inform Harry that he has been betrothed to a lovely young lady, and now that I have, I must ask him to get ready to leave."

Dumbledore turned to the two thirteen year old teenagers, and inclined his head, indicating that they would need to get ready to go.

"Harry, why don't you go get your things, such as your clothes, Hedwig, and your school supplies?" The aged headmaster suggested, knowing that Harry would likely be nervous about Daphne seeing the old cupboard that he slept in as a child.

As Harry and Daphne got up, Harry's body tensed up, concern and fear of what Daphne Greengrass would think of him rose up. Harry had always felt shame of how he grew up as a child, and never once told anyone about his upbringing, not even Ron and Hermione. Only Albus Dumbledore potentially knew how he grew up, and Harry hoped that he would soon do something to help him. Now he learned that he was betrothed to a girl that was sorted into Slytherin House, and Dumbledore was suggesting that he show her the cupboard that he slept in. Harry couldn't understand why Dumbledore was doing this.

"Umm ... sure, Professor Dumbledore." Harry answered, as he gestured to Daphne to the stairs.

As the two teenagers reached the door, Harry stopped as he realized something. He turned back to his aged headmaster, and decided to risk his question.

"Professor Dumbledore, I just realized," He began. "You didn't say when Daphne Greengrass and I have to be married."

Dumbledore looked at Harry with raised eyebrows, as if he was shocked at Harry's question, or rather that Harry noticed the overlooked information. Dumbledore knew exactly when Harry had to marry the Greengrass heiress, but wanted to keep that piece of information to himself, or at least hoped that he could. The fact that Harry noticed that he didn't specify when he had to marry his new betrothed, indicated to Albus that Harry had gained a little bit of independence of his own, which concerned him. Regardless, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was determined that his plans for the boy would be successful.

_'For the Greater Good.'_ He thought to himself.

"Unfortunately Harry, I am not sure when you're due to marry Ms. Greengrass," He answered, lying to the boy, and completely missing the skeptical look of the blonde haired girl. "But I will see what I can find out."

Harry seemed to have accepted the answer, though he also felt skeptical about Albus Dumbledore not knowing about that one piece of information. Daphne Greengrass on the other hand, was very skeptical, and didn't believe that her and Harry's headmaster was unaware of when she and Harry Potter were due to be married. After all, her parents knew when she had to marry him, and told her. So how could the great Albus Dumbledore not know?

Regardless, the two teens left the sitting room, a sense of disbelief towards their headmaster taking root in their respective hearts. Although the two were going to expect their marriage, neither of them would suspect that their lives would be changed by many surprises in their lives.


	3. Chapter 2

"Speech"

'_Thoughts_'

"_Parseltongue_"

_Writing/Reading_

"**_YELLING_**"

Harry led Daphne up to his room, trying to avoid fidgeting. He figured that it would be better for him to get his clothes first, before he got his school stuff. As the two entered the room, Daphne took stock of the room. Although she kept her facial expressions hidden, she couldn't help but feel disgusted at how bad the room was, though she heavily suspected that Harry was not the cause of it.

The room was relatively small, and had a bed mattress sitting on the floor and looked as though the springs were sticking out. To her immediate right, was a wardrobe that looked as though it had one door about to fall off its hinges. There was a small desk next to the mattress that sat beneath the window; which when Daphne looked closer at it, she noticed that it had braces for bars sitting on the outside of it. To the left of the room, was a dresser, on top of which rested Harry's faithful snowy owl Hedwig in her cage.

Hedwig's large amber eyes watched Daphne critically. Daphne shivered slightly, wondering if the white owl somehow might've known that she was a Slytherin student, and could potentially be a threat to her master. In many ways she had to admire the owl's dedication, compassion, and loyalty to her owner. In fact, she even had to respect the owl, for wanting to make sure that Harry was safe; she had to imagine that any animal would be like Hedwig, when it came to their owners.

"So this is where you sleep?" She asked Harry, trying to get to know him. "It looks ... well, I hope you don't take offense but, it doesn't look good."

Harry couldn't help but cringe at the words that came from the Slytherin girl's mouth. He wasn't as conceited as his school rival Draco Malfoy, who was also from Slytherin like Daphne, but he did feel a little bit of shame in regards to the way he had to grow up with the Dursleys. As best as he tried to hide the cringe, Daphne was still able to spot it, leading her to regret her choice of words, and to feel sorry for her betrothed, who was also her godbrother.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it came out." She apologized, letting her mask drop.

Harry looked at Daphne, and looked at the way she held herself. She stood in front of him with a feeling of confidence and sincerity, and he also felt a sense of kindness and compassion towards him. He also saw how she regretted her words, and that she was truly sorry for saying them. This was something that surprised Harry, especially from a Slytherin. Once again, he found himself misjudging Daphne due to Malfoy's behavior.

"It's ok," He said, moving quickly to ease her feeling of regret. "My aunt and uncle made this my room sometime before the start of my First Year, in hopes that they could prevent the Hogwarts letters from arriving."

Daphne angled her head, and raised her eyebrows, a look of curiosity and interest on her face as Harry turned his back to her. She also felt confusion take root as well; Harry said that he was moved into this room sometime just before their First Year, so where did he sleep before they moved him? It was something that she knew her mother would most likely want to know, but Daphne didn't want to push Harry. They were just starting to get to know one another, and she didn't want to mess things up. Plus she didn't want their betrothal to start off on a bad start, which so far it was, if just slightly. So she decided to change the subject.

"My mother is your godmother," She said to him, watching with interest that Harry turned back to her quickly, a look of shock on his face. "She was close friends with your mother in their Hogwarts years, and your mum decided to choose her as your godmother, despite the fact that my mum was a Slytherin, and yours was in Gryffindor."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only did he have a godfather, but he also had a godmother? And his godmother happened to be the mother of the very girl that he was betrothed to? Harry guessed that Daphne thought he didn't believe her, cause she started to reach for something in her pocket. She then pulled out a picture, and gave it to him.

"Here, this is a picture of my mum, holding you as a baby," She explained, as she gave him the picture. "She was about eight months pregnant with me when you were born, so that's why her belly looks big in the picture."

Harry took the picture with a shaky hand, and looked at it. Sure enough, he saw his mother in the background, laying in what he guessed was a hospital bed, and himself as a baby, but what drew his eyes, was the woman, who must've been Daphne's mother and his godmother, holding him in her arms. The woman was certainly beautiful, and Harry guessed that she was an older version of Daphne, though unlike the girl who gave him the picture, the woman didn't have as bright blue eyes as Daphne; Harry described Daphne's eyes as vibrant sapphire blue, whereas her mother, his godmother, had ocean blue eyes. The woman was smiling as she held Harry in her arms, and Harry, as a baby in the picture, smiled back at her, his little arms trying to reach out to her. The picture was obviously magical since the individuals in the picture were moving. Harry's mother looked as though she was laughing, and Harry's arms were reaching up towards Daphne's mother, while said woman kept leaning her head back, as if she was trying to keep her face out of the baby's reach.

"Mum said that you had a tendency to grab her hair," Daphne explained, causing Harry to look up at her. "That's why she had to pull her head back away from you when that picture was taken."

Harry couldn't help but laugh when Daphne said that, as it made him feel as though he did have another unknown family member that would love him, like Sirius. Then a thought came into Harry's head. Did Sirius, and Remus Lupin his parents close friend, know that Harry also had a godmother, and in extension a betrothal contract? If they did, then why didn't they say something to him? And if they knew who his godmother was, and if he was betrothed, could that mean that Peter Pettigrew knew as well?

These were undoubtedly questions that he would have to ask his godmother and, when he was able to, write to Remus and Sirius and ask if they knew. He simply didn't want his godmother, and Daphne, to be in any sort of danger from Pettigrew, or anyone that he got in contact with. Harry's concern for his godmother was justified, but for now he would have to settle with getting ready to go meet her. Thus he returned to the task of what clothes he had with him, which were simply all hand-me-downs from his fat cousin Dudley. This was something else that Harry felt ashamed of, especially in front of Daphne; he didn't have any clothes of his own, and was made to wear clothes from his cousin, all of which did not fit him very well.

Daphne saw his clothes as he packed them away, noting how they were all too big to fit him. Like many others in Hogwarts, she had always seen Harry in clothes that hung off his body whenever they weren't wearing the school uniforms. While most of the other students in Slytherin House, particularly those lead by Malfoy were always laughing at him about this, Daphne was always wondering why her godbrother wore clothes that didn't fit him well. She did remember seeing a whale of a boy that was a year older than Harry downstairs, and wondered if these clothes were originally worn by him, only to be given to Harry to wear; though she did suspect that he was reluctantly being made to wear the clothes. Another thing to tell her mother.

"My cousins clothes," Harry spoke, drawing Daphne's attention to him. "My aunt and uncle always gave my cousin Dudley all the attention, but when it came to me, they just choose to ignore me and give me any of Dudley's old clothes or stuff that he doesn't want anymore; despite the fact that most of the stuff is usually broken by him."

Daphne looked at Harry with a look of incredulity, having a hard time to understand how someone could treat a child like what Harry said he went through. Much less that he was telling her this, especially when they were just getting to know each other.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked, her curiosity peaked.

Harry stopped packing, as he thought hard about what he told her. In truth, what he shared with her was more than what he normally shared with Ron and Hermione. Harry was always careful not to let anyone know how he grew up, but yet he told a small part about his mistreatments at the hands of his relatives to someone who he had just met. And he shared it with Daphne Greengrass, a fellow soon-to-be Fourth Year, from Slytherin, and his godsister/betrothed. He couldn't fathom as to how or why he was so willing to share that with her, after he was only starting to get to know her.

"To be honest," He answered. "I don't know, I guess since you're my godsister, and your mum is my godmother, that makes you family. Probably my real family, since I don't really view the Dursleys as my actual family."

Daphne thought about what Harry had told her, as he successfully closed the suitcase that he had placed all of his too-big clothes in. She had guessed, both on what she had observed in regards to Harry's clothes, the room overall, and the way that his Muggle relatives acted towards him in the sitting room, that he didn't have the best childhood. She then thought of how she grew up with her parents and sister, and realized that unlike Harry, she had it relatively easy; with loving parents and a caring, albeit annoying, little sister. Harry had none of that; instead he grew up with relatives who didn't want him.

As Daphne was lost in her thoughts, Harry walked over to Hedwig's cage, and opened it to let her out. The white owl flew out of her cage, and over to the girl in the room, startling Daphne out of her thoughts. Hedwig landed on Daphne's right shoulder, and looked at her intently, and surprised the blonde by rubbing against her cheek. Daphne, utterly shocked by the snowy white owl, returned the gesture by stroking the beautiful white owl's feathers. This seemed to have done the trick, as the owl gently nibbled in the blondes fingers, and then flapped back to her master.

"Looks like Hedwig likes you," Harry stated, bringing Daphne out of the remains of her stupor, as he stroked his owls feathers. "And if there's one thing I know about Hedwig, it's that she's a good judge of character. And trust me when I say this: she doesn't usually give someone her trust so quickly, like she did with you."

Daphne thought about what Harry just told her, and had to agree with what he said. She could only guess that Hedwig sensed something about her that told the owl that she could be trusted, and gave her a chance. She then watched as Harry walked over to his desk, and started writing a letter. She could only assume that the letter was going to the Weasleys, even though she had already stated that her father had informed the Weasley patriarch that Harry would be staying with them for about a week, and then that they would be bringing him to them. What confused her though, was that he wasn't just writing one letter, but he also wrote three additional letters.

Daphne was curious as to who the recipients of the four different letters were, but she decided not to ask, feeling that Harry would eventually tell her. She then watched as her god-brother/betrothed carefully enclosed each of the letters, though she did note that he put the third and fourth letters together. This made Daphne even more curious, and couldn't help but wonder why he was putting two separate letters for two different people together; unless the fourth letter is for someone that can't get it directly, or can't receive it directly at all, for some reason. Daphne then watched as Harry walked to the window and opened it, and then gave the letters to Hedwig who was sitting on his right arm.

"Now Hedwig, take each of these letters to the Weasleys, Hermione, and Remus." He instructed the white owl, before looking at Daphne, before turning back to his owl. "And when each of them give their replies, bring them to me at ..."

Harry then turned to Daphne, a look of curiosity and confusion on his face, and Daphne knew why; he didn't know where the Greengrasses lived. She could understand that though; he never visited the Greengrass family once, and he obviously would like to know where his owl could find him. Daphne once again admired the bond between Harry and his owl, and walked towards the raven-haired boy with the snowy white owl. Looking into the intelligent bird's amber eyes, Daphne made sure to keep eye contact with the intelligent bird, as she gave her family home location.

"Greengrass Manor, Northampton." She said, and maintained eye contact with Hedwig for another seconds, as the owl's eyes flashed, with her family address locking into place in her memory.

After that, Hedwig looked at Harry, and nodded her head, indicating that she was ready to go. Harry turned back to the window, and gestured his arm out, helping Hedwig out the window, and take off out into the open air. The two teens watched as the snowy white owl flew away, seeing her disappear as a small speck in the sky. After a minute, they stood in silence, each unsure of what to say next. Finally, Daphne decided to break the silence, and hurry the two along.

"We better get the rest of your school supplies," she said, looking into his eyes. "My mother is eager to meet you, and I promised her that I would bring you to her."

Harry nodded his head, and grabbed the bag that he put his clothes in; though he didn't see the scowl on Daphne's face. The two thirteen year olds walked back down the stairs, and as Harry placed his clothes near the door, he slightly hesitated before turning towards the cupboard beneath the stairs that he used to sleep in for the first ten years he spent at Number Four Privet drive. He noted with great displeasure that the door was still locked, and figured that neither Dumbledore, nor his aunt or uncle bothered to open the cupboard.

"You alright Potter?"

Harry turned to Daphne, and looked at her. He really didn't want her to see where he had slept as a little boy, as he still felt shame from the way he had grown up. Plus, he had never said anything about the cupboard to anyone at Hogwarts, not even to Ron and Hermione. He was also concerned that Daphne, as his betrothed, might feel disgusted at how he grew up, and could possibly tell her parents about the cupboard.

"My school stuff are in the cupboard underneath the stairs," Harry replied, pointing at the door in front of them. "Unfortunately it's locked, so I'll have to ask either my uncle or my aunt to unlock it."

"Why not just use your wand to unlock it?" Daphne asked, her curiosity peaked.

"It's locked in the cupboard," Harry answered, scratching the back of his head. "My relatives don't like anything related with magic; or anything that they considered as freakish, as you already saw in the sitting room. So every year when I get back from Hogwarts, my uncle always made sure that my school stuff are locked away in the cupboard. The only thing I'm allowed to have in my room is Hedwig, as you saw."

_**(Author's Note: It's been a while since I've read any of the books, so I don't remember if Harry did give his wand to his uncle in the summer between his third and fourth year at Hogwarts or not.)**_

Daphne nodded her head, understanding what he was talking about. She had indeed figured that the behavior of Harry's uncle indicated that he disapproved of anything that wasn't considered normal in a muggles point of view. She was certain that there was more than he was telling her, but she didn't want to insult Harry for how he lived, and put her hand gently on his arm. Though she had nearly removed it when she felt him stiffen, as if he wasn't used to someone doing that.

"It's ok," she said, looking deep into his eyes. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. But don't think for a second, that however you grew up was your fault; it's your relatives fault for how you were treated."

Harry looked at Daphne in shock, having a hard time believing that someone was actually defending him from the Dursleys. He nodded his thanks to her, and started to walk back to the sitting room. Just as they were before he and Daphne left, the Dursleys were still sitting in their positions, with stiffness in their bodies, and fear in their eyes, while Dumbledore remained standing, looking at one of the Dursley family photos. Harry made a loud enough sound from his throat, getting the attention of those in the room. He then looked at his uncle, drawing upon his Gryffindor courage when he saw the hatred and anger in Uncle Vernon's eyes.

"Uncle Vernon, could you please unlock the door to the cupboard, so that I can get my school supplies, and take them with me, please?" Harry asked, doing his best to stand strong and brave as a Gryffindor.

Daphne watched Harry's uncle with a careful eye, while also keeping her other eye discreetly on Dumbledore. She could easily tell that Mr. Dursley was not pleased that Harry was standing up to him, and while she couldn't tell for sure, she could swear that Dumbledore's eyebrow twitched. She really couldn't understand why their headmaster was finding it unpleasant in Harry's courage to stand up to his clearly abusive relatives. It was a clear sign that in spite of everything that they tried to do, they wouldn't succeed in breaking Harry James Potter.

"Why don't you use your freakish abilities," Vernon retorted back, a smug grin on his face. "And open it yourself?"

Harry couldn't help but suppress a sigh. His uncle knew that he didn't have his wand, since it was in the cupboard. Harry also pretty much knew that Uncle Vernon was aware that he couldn't use magic outside of school. Otherwise he would get in trouble with the Ministry of Magic, just like the summer before his Second Year; though technically speaking that was Dobby the house elf's fault, and Harry was the one who got in trouble.

"Because Uncle my wand is in the cupboard," Harry began to explain, exasperation clear in his voice. "And I also can't use magic outside of school."

Daphne watched Harry's interaction with his uncle, and couldn't help but feel outraged by how her betrothed was being treated by his relatives. Harry simply needed to get his school supplies, and his uncle was purposely keeping him from doing so. She looked at Dumbledore from the corner of her eye, and detested that he wasn't doing anything to help. So she decided to step in and help.

"Forgive me Mr. Dursley," Daphne started, her training as a negotiator for her eventual inheritance of her family business kicking in. "But I really think it would be beneficial if you let Harry get his school supplies."

Daphne remained unflinching, as Vernon Dursley set his eyes on her. She could see the intense level of hate he had against her due to her magical heritage, despite the fact that he didn't know her at all. She could do nothing but inwardly roll her eyes, at the arrogance of the overweight Muggle man. She had no doubt in her mind that Mr. Dursley's negative behavior and actions would one day destroy him, and it only be his own fault.

"After all, if you help open the cupboard for Harry," She started, diplomatically speaking with Vernon with a business tone that she had no doubt that he would understand. "You would be able to enjoy the remaining summer, and following ten month in complete normalcy. You wouldn't have any, freakishness as you put it, in your house. You'll be able to go through your days as a completely, _normal_, family without any problem. And Harry would be gone the entire time, and won't have to come back to get his stuff, before leaving for Hogwarts, but again, that's only if you don't help him get his school stuff out of the cupboard."

Harry and Daphne, along with Dumbledore and the rest of the Dursleys, watched as Vernon thought the proposal made by Daphne. It was clear that he was turning the gears in whatever small brain he had in his head, mulling the pros and cons of Daphne's offer. Finally he looked up at her, with what looked like some modicum of respect in his eyes for her business-like demeanor in his eyes; though the hate towards her "freakishness" was obviously still there, no matter what.

"All right, I suppose that'll be the best deal my family will get," He said, glaring at Harry . "Than having to deal with whatever stench the boy's freakishness will leave in my home. And if it helps to get you _freaks_, out of my house all the more faster, then I'll gladly open the cupboard."

With that said, Vernon got up from his seat, and walked, or in Daphne's observation waddled, out into the hallway and opened the cupboard, yelling out to Harry to get his school supplies quickly. Harry looked at Daphne with an impressed look in his eyes for how well she managed to deal with his uncle. As Harry went out get his supplies, she quickly took a glance into the cupboard, and felt disgusted by what she saw inside it.

She saw the remnants of what looked like a bed mattress sitting on the floor, and some rags that must've been used as a blanket discarded to the side. She could barely see them from the angle that she was standing from, but she noticed some shelves that had some broken toys sitting on them. She could easily tell that Harry had one point been forced to sleep in that cramped space, until he was eleven years old, just as he told her earlier.

At first she felt shock and horror that someone could do that to their own flesh and blood, and then it quickly turned to pure anger and rage. She glared at the nearest two Dursleys, which were Petunia and Dudley Dursley who flinched from the intense look of hatred; and then she turned the glare onto her headmaster, who was conveniently looking at anything but into her rage-filled blue eyes. While her father and mother were reserved about Dumbledore, Daphne did have some respect for her school headmaster; but now that respect, and any trust that she had for him, were gone in that moment. It was no secret that Dumbledore made himself Harry's magical guardian and placed him with his Muggle relatives, but how could he put Harry in a house where he was obviously being abused, and neglected to do anything about it?

Daphne felt even more resolved to speak with her mother about Harry's living style with the Dursleys, and had no doubt that her mother would take measures to get custody of Harry. Of course, Dumbledore would undoubtedly try to prevent that, but in reality, Daphne's mother did have every right to fight for custody of Harry, since she was Harry's godmother. Daphne's thoughts were broken as Harry dragged his school trunk into the sitting room, while his uncle simply waddled in, making no effort to help Harry.

"Ok, got my school stuff," Harry said as he quickly pulled his wand out, and stuck it into his pocket, he then looked at Dumbledore. "Umm Professor Dumbledore, do you think you could shrink my trunk, so I can put it in my pocket?"

Daphne watched with contempt as Dumbledore hypocritically smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. She watched as the aged man pulled his wand out of his sleeve. Being this close to Dumbledore, she was able to get a good view of his wand for the first time.

It was a truly interesting looking piece of wood, made from what looked like elder wood. It had, what she could tell, a small bone inlay that was inscribed with runes, and outcroppings of nodules running down its length. This gave Daphne the impression of clusters of elderberries.

"Of course Harry my boy." He replied, waving his wand, shrinking the trunk.

With the trunk now shrunk, Harry picked it up, and placed it into his pocket. Daphne took a moment to look at the Dursleys, and noted that their eyes were wide with fright, and there was a clear tremble in their postures. She also noticed that Harry's cousin, Dudley she believed Harry said his name was, gripped his large rear end tightly, eliciting a smirk on her face; she would have to ask Harry why he did that, though she had a sneaky suspicion that it would only make her laugh hard.

"Well, if that is all," Dumbledore said, breaking her concentration. "I think it may be best for us to take our leave, and get to Greengrass Manor. I'm sure your parents will be eagerly waiting for the both of you to arrive."

Harry and Daphne nodded, and each took one of his arms, as he apparated away. The pop of Dumbledore's disapparition caused the Dursleys to flinch, and shook them up so much, that by the time the photographer arrived to take their family picture, they were still having a hard time staying still.

**_A/N: Well this surely took its time coming together, but I'm glad it did. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I ended the chapter in regards to the Dursleys, though I suppose it was only fair for them to get some comeuppance, if you know what I mean._**

**_Merry Christmas!_**


	4. Chapter 3

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

"_Parseltongue_"

_Writing/Reading_

"_YELLING_"

_Greengrass Manor, Northampton countryside_

The countryside of Northampton was a beautiful scenery, and a wondrous place where Greengrass Manor was situated. It would be here, where the pop of apparition would be heard, as Albus Dumbledore came into existence, with Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass holding onto each of his arms. Both children had a different reaction to the side-along-apparition that they had experienced on the headmaster's arms. Daphne slightly stumbled, as she had a bit more experience with apparating, since she had done it with her parents on several occasions; Harry on the other hand, was not feeling so well, as he vomited up whatever little food he had from that morning, especially as it was his first time doing side-along-apparition. Daphne couldn't help but feel sorry for Harry, as she remembered how she felt the first time she side-along-apparated with her parents. she quickly knelt down next to Harry, and rubbed her hand up and down his back, doing her best to soothe him.

As she did this, Dumbledore stood off to the side watching the interaction between the two thirteen going on fourteen year olds. He couldn't help feel concerned by how close they were quickly becoming, in the short amount of time that they knew each other. He had originally planned on using a mild love potion on Harry when he turned sixteen to make him develop romantic feelings for young Ginny Weasley, that was if she still had similar feelings towards him by then; if not then he would give her the same mild love potion as well, just to ensure that everything went according to his plans. But now that Harry was apparently in a betrothal contract with Daphne Greengrass, a girl whose family was not only a neutral gray family, but they were also among the few wizarding families that refused to trust him like the other families, like the Weasleys for example. Though admittedly, the loyalties of such families to Dumbledore were only beneficial to him, so long as long as it was mutually beneficial to the Greater Good; again, as long as they were loyal to him, since he didn't really have much use for them. Plus Ginny Weasley never bothered to make her interest for Harry Potter a secret, so he saw that as a possible tool to use to keep Harry under his thumb, should he ever need to use it.

But now though, with Harry's betrothal to an heiress whose family wasn't loyal to him, or the fact that he was already beginning to grow close to her, or even worse that he was beginning to develop a sense of personal independence so soon, was a direct threat to his plans for Harry in regards to Voldemort. He couldn't help but wonder if James and Lily Potter were somehow trying to get some sense of justice against him. It was already bad enough that they ...

_'No,_' Dumbledore thought to himself, as he shook his head clear of his wayward thoughts. _'I can't risk thinking these thoughts. The rumors of the Greengrasses having a special charm that can read my thoughts so close to their home, is too risky to think about _that _in close proximity. Just finish bringing Harry to the Greengrasses, and get to the Weasleys to convince them that Harry is in danger from the Greengrasses as soon as possible._'

Just as Dumbledore was finishing his thoughts, and Harry recovered from his side-apparition induced nausea, the gates to Greengrass Manor opened, and out exited a well-dressed man and woman, followed by a young girl of about eleven. The man was Lord Cyrus Greengrass, who was wearing a unique set of robes that looked to be a combination of wizard robes, and a muggle business suit in a dark green color with dark red piping, while Lady Elizabeth Greengrass wore a midnight blue dress. The little girl was the youngest member of the Greengrass family, Astoria Greengrass, who had recently started at Hogwarts just the recent school term. She was dressed in a bright purple sundress. Dumbledore would've preferred to have some time to discreetly "warn" Harry not to trust the Greengrasses, but now that would not be possible. He really didn't want Harry to trust the Greengrass Family, especially if he was to use the boy as a weapon against Voldemort.

"Greetings Professor Dumbledore," Lord Greengrass said, taking his place standing next to the children, while Lady Greengrass began to tend to Harry. "I thank you for helping to take Daphne to Harry's "home", so as to bring him here."

Dumbledore couldn't help but feel his right eyelid twitch, as it was clear from Lord Greengrass' tone that he was being dismissed. Honestly, he, the great Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the defeater of Gellert Grindlewald, and leader of the Light, being dismissed by who he believed to be below him. In many ways, Lord Greengrass should be thanking him for saving the Wizard World from Grindlewald. Regardless, Dumbledore forced his iconic grandfatherly smile back onto his face, and made his eyes twinkle so as to keep the grandfather facade.

"Of course Cyrus," Dumbledore replied, keeping his forced smile on his face as he addressed his former student. "I am most glad to help when it comes to matters of legal matter, such as a marriage contract. However Cyrus, I must ask that you perhaps, reconsider, allowing your daughter to accompany Harry to the Weasleys. It is a well known fact that..."

"Professor Dumbledore, I am very well aware that Arthur Weasley has a longstanding rivalry with Lucius Malfoy," Lord Greengrass stated, cutting Dumbledore off much to the elder mans chagrin. "But Arthur Weasley knows that I am a far more respectful man than Lord Malfoy; and furthermore since Daphne is Harry's betrothed, she will have to get to know his friends, as she will need to get acquainted with them if she is to marry him by her fifteenth birthday, which will be on August 21st, 1995. So it will be important that she tries to get along with his friends."

Once again, Dumbledore felt his eyelid twitch, as he felt that his plan was coming apart again, no thanks in part to the Greengrasses and the Potters. He really needed to find a way to get things back in order, before he lost complete control and influence over Harry. The boy did have a destiny after all, whether he knew it or not yet, and Dumbledore needed to be the one to prepare him for it, and no one else. Regardless, if he wanted to have any chance of keeping Harry under his thumb, then he would need to act as if he were unfazed by this, despite the fact that Cyrus Greengrass had just openly stated the exact date that Harry had to marry his eldest daughter. Dumbledore was really hoping that he could find a way to dissolve the contract, so that he could continue to use Harry as a secret weapon against Voldemort.

"Of course Cyrus," He said, reluctantly agreeing with the head of the Greengrass family. "I'll leave the decision making to you. Good day then. I'll see you at school Harry, along with you and your sister, Ms. Greengrass."

Harry, in his nausea state of mind, looked at Daphne who held a scowl on her face, and a hard glare at the Headmaster, as she simply gave a small nod. Harry then looked at Dumbledore, and simply nodded, though he simply looked at his headmaster with a look of contempt. With that, Dumbledore turned and walked away a few paces, before he stopped, turned in place, and popped away.

With Dumbledore gone, Harry looked around at the family that surrounded him. Daphne's mother looked the same as she did in the picture that Daphne gave him at the Dursleys, though now that he was seeing her in person, he could almost mistake her for Daphne's older sister; something that hinted to Harry that this would be an indicator to what Daphne would come to look like as she grew older, not that Harry wouldn't mind. Daphne's father however, was a regal looking man with brown eyes and matching brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, like that of British officers from the 1770's. Daphne's sister Astoria seemed to posses a balanced appearance after each of her parents; she had her mother's facial structure, but her father's brown hair and eyes. All of the Greengrasses looked at Harry with looks of care, and almost with a familial reach; something that Harry actually appreciated. Eventually Daphne's mother, his godmother, approached him again.

"Hello Harry, I don't know if you remember me," She began, her voice having a hesitating tone in it, as she gently caressed Harry's cheek. "but I'm Elizabeth Greengrass, I was close friends with your mother Lily, and because of our friendship, she made me your godmother. I realize that you were probably too young to remember, and I truly am sorry that I didn't try to reach out to you sooner, but Cyrus and I did try to look for you."

Harry mulled over what she had said, and understood what she was saying. After all, if he were in her position, he would probably do the same thing. Regardless, it was in the past, and that was where it was best to leave it, and focus on the here and now, and look to the future. All he wanted was to start a relationship with his godmother, and the rest of his god-family, and get to know Daphne since they were betrothed.

"I understand Elizabeth," Harry answered, taking hold of the hand that was caressing his cheek. "But it's in the past now, and I'd prefer to focus on the hear and now, and try to move on. We can respect and remember those who we loved and lost, but they wouldn't want us to dwell on them, and just move on with our lives."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smiled proudly at her godson, and looked at her husband behind her, and he too held a proud smile on his face. They had each known Harry's mother and father respectively; Elizabeth with Lily, and Cyrus with James. Thus they knew that there was no doubt in their minds that Harry's parents would've approved of his philosophy.

"Well said Harry," Cyrus said, addressing him for the first time. "I have no doubt that your parents would approve of what you said. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Cyrus Aldrich Greengrass. Like my wife, I knew your parents, though admittedly I knew your father better than I did your mother."

Once Harry heard that from Cyrus, his attention was grabbed. He knew from Daphne that her mother undoubtedly knew his mother, but now he had another way to learn about his father. He knew that he would learn more about his parents here at Greengrass Manor, than he would anywhere else. Harry felt that he would enjoy his time with the Greengrass Family. Harry then turned to the final Greengrass.

"And what's your name?" He asked her.

Astoria couldn't help but smile at Harry's interest to get to know her. She looked at her older sister, and winked at Daphne, indicating that she approved of Harry for her. Astoria would never admit it, but while she may tend to get on Daphne's nerves, she valued her older sister. She then turned back to Harry.

"My name is Astoria," She answered, giving a slight curtsy. "I'm Daphne's younger sister and your other god-sister."

Harry couldn't help but smile at how easy it was becoming, to meet his newly found godmother, and the rest of his god-family. He looked at each member of the Greengrass family, who each possessed a genuine smile that were directed at him, along with a look of love for him.

"Why don't we all go into the manor, so that Harry can be shown around, and then we can all get acquainted with each other?"

"Yes, I do believe that sounds like a good idea Cyrus." Elizabeth said, running her hand down the skirt of her dress, and then taking her husbands arm. "Come along children, lets get inside, and show Harry his new home for the summer."

If it could be helped, Harry felt his smile grow larger, at the sound of his godmother saying the word 'home'. There were only two particular places in his life that Harry called home: Hogwarts, and the Burrow, but he definitely wouldn't object to adding Greengrass Manor as his third home. Following Cyrus and Elizabeth's example, Harry offered his arm to Daphne, to which the blond smilingly accepted, of course Harry wasn't going to leave Astoria out of the picture, and offered his other arm to her, to the young brunette's great glee.

As Harry walked up the path towards the manor, he began to wonder about something. He couldn't help but wonder why his godmother had been unable to find him until now, and if Daphne knew about him being her mother's godson, why hadn't she tried to approach him while they were at Hogwarts for the past two years. Deciding that the questions on his mind were too important to ignore at the moment, he stopped walking, surprising the two Greengrass girls on his arms, and turning to his godmother and honorary uncle.

"La... Aunt Elizabeth, if you don't mind me asking," Harry started, catching himself as he remembered that he was offered to be informal with the Greengrasses. "But how is it that you've been unable to find me for nearly twelve years?"

Harry watched as Elizabeth's face changed from one of happiness and pride, to one that was hurt and sadness. As seconds went by, tears soon began to well up in her eyes, as though his question brought up difficult questions. Feeling the need to apologize, Harry opened his mouth to do so, but Cyrus gestured for him to wait, as he gently rubbed Elizabeth's back, calming her. Finally, Elizabeth drew in several uneasy breaths, as she turned to look Harry in the eyes.

"I want you to know and understand Harry," She began, struggling to keep her voice from breaking. "Your mother wasn't just my best friend, she was like a sister to me, and when she asked me to be your godmother, I was happy and honored to do so. So when Cyrus and I heard that your parents were killed, I was brokenhearted and grief stricken, because I didn't just lose a friend, but I felt that I had lost a sister; and Cyrus had also lost a close friend in your father, making it feel as though a piece of our family was ripped from us. Then we learned that you had somehow survived, it gave me hope that Cyrus and I could at least be able to have our family together, and raise you the way that your parents, especially your mother, would've wanted you to be.

"But then Dumbledore intervened, and hid you away somewhere that we didn't at first know," She continued, her voice beginning to crack as her tears began to fall harder. "I felt as though my heart was being ripped out of my chest by the so called, "Leader of the Light", and Cyrus asked Dumbledore multiple times to allow me to take proper custody of you, as was my right as your godmother, but the headmaster wouldn't tell Cyrus anything, just that you were safer where you were living."

"I even tried to appeal to the Wizengamot for Elizabeth's right's as your godmother," Cyrus said, taking up the explanation as he held Elizabeth. "But even with the support of our allies, several of which were shared with your family, the amount of influence that Dumbledore held was far too powerful, and my attempts were all turned down. I even tried to hire several Aurors, Dark wizard catchers, to investigate and find you, but when they were about to look for you, they were ordered to stand down by the incompetent Minister of Magic. Cornelius Fudge even threatened to have me thrown into Azkaban for possible "plans of raising the Boy-Who-Lived to be a potential Dark Lord", if Elizabeth and I didn't stop trying to look for you."

Harry absorbed the information that he was being given like a sponge. On one hand his godmother actually was trying to find him with help from her husband, but Dumbledore was constantly standing in their way. Then the Minister of Magic got involved, and was more than willing to throw Cyrus into the very prison that Sirius escaped from. He didn't want that for his godmother to go through, nor Cyrus.

"I felt that there was no chance of ever getting you back," Elizabeth began again, pain and anguish present in her teary eyes. "But I remembered that you would one day turn eleven, and began to hope that I would be able to see you again. Unfortunately for us, Dumbledore kept finding ways to block us."

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see it was Daphne. She stared into his eyes, a look of anger present and obvious.

"I've been trying to approach you for the past three school years, but Dumbledore kept finding ways to block my path." She said this with disgust in her voice, as she remembered the times she failed to approach Harry. "Dumbledore somehow placed a compulsion charm to keep me away from you, not to mention the fact that you were almost always either with Granger and Weasley. Plus there were the numerous advances made by Malfoy to get me to go out with him, but I'm certain that was all on his own, but even still, I'd rather turn into a hippogriff than date Draco bloody Malfoy."

Harry couldn't help but share Daphne's disgust at the mention of Draco Malfoy, the blonde git of Slytherin. He was glad that there was at least one person, or perhaps rather two in the case of Astoria, from Slytherin House that shared his view about Malfoy. Harry could only hope that this would at least adhere her to Ron, or at least allow Ron to give her a chance.

"Finally, we had enough of the runarounds that the meddlesome old fool was playing." Cyrus said, his face contorting into anger. "I honestly didn't want to reveal the marriage contract, but I felt it was the only way to get Dumbledore to bring you to us. You see Harry, marriage contracts are suppose to be a private matter between two families, but as a former Slytherin student myself, I decided to use it, to convince Dumbledore to do what I wanted all these years. To reunite godmother and godson."

Harry understood where Cyrus was coming from, as the contract would allow Harry to be with the Greengrasses. There was however, another thing that Harry needed to know.

"But I still don't understand," He started, his confusion taking precedent. "Why did my parents, who willingly married for love, agree to sign a marriage contract between me and Daphne?"

Turning to Daphne,Harry wanted her to understand why he was asking this. Her face held a clear insulted look, as though she thought that he was interested in being betrothed to her.

"I don't want you to think that being with you isn't great, because so far it has been, even though we've only just met." He said, putting his hand on her shoulder to show his sincerity. "It's just that I can't understand why my parents, as well as yours, would marry willingly but not give us the chance to do the same."

Daphne's face changed from slightly insulted, to an inquisitive manner, as she was no doubt wondering the same thing as him. For quite some time since her parents had told her of the contract, Daphne had wondered why her choice to pick someone to one day marry of her own volition was taken from her. She just couldn't think of the polite way to ask her parents, but Harry had essentially asked the question that was on her mind. Turning to her parents, she wanted to hear their explanation.

"I do have to admit, I've been wondering the same thing," She said, watching her parents. "Why did you decide to put me into a marriage contract with Harry? Shouldn't it have been our choice to get married or not?"

Cyrus and Elizabeth looked at each other uneasily, as though they were thinking about a difficult time. Harry, Daphne, and Astoria waited to hear what their explanation was, as they were curious as to the reason. Finally Cyrus sighed, as he prepared to recount the difficult times.

"It was dark times during the war against You-Know-Who," Cyrus began, pain of memories form the time coming to his mind. "Harry's grandparents, Charlus and Dorea Potter, were killed personally by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, while Lily's parents had been randomly murdered by a pair of low ranking Death Eaters. Our family opted to remain neutral during the war, but regardless of our position, both sides were constantly pressuring us to choose who to support. The Death Eaters wanted us to join them in spreading their ridiculous Pure-blood supremacy,while Dumbledore wanted us to fight against the Death Eaters. I was childhood friends with your father while Elizabeth, as you already know Harry, was best friends with your mother in Hogwarts, so we turned to them for aid."

"At that point, both you and Daphne were already born and at least a few months old," Elizabeth picked up, walking to Harry, and gently putting her hands on his shoulders. "We were in a difficult position, until James and Lily offered to help us, by putting the two of you into a betrothal contract. We never wanted to use you as means to get out of trouble, but we knew that if you and Daphne were betrothed, then it would show that while we were neutral, we did support the Light Side."

Harry and Daphne looked at each other, and nodded to each other. They understood what Cyrus and Elizabeth were saying; the contract had simply been political. But then that still left one question.

"You're both probably wondering, why the contract wasn't ripped up after the war if it was political?" Elizabeth asked, earning affirmative nods from the two.

"The contract was originally planned to be ripped up once the war was over," Cyrus said, sighing heavily as he recounted the circumstances of the contract. "But unfortunately Harry, after your parents died, there was no way to rip the contract up, and put a stop to it. the Contract can only be ended, if the parents of the individuals involved both agreed to it, and without your parents, there was no way to stop the contract. I am truly sorry that you two had to be caught in the political machinations of circumstances."

Harry debated to himself on the situation at hand. The only way that he was supposed to get out of the contract was if his parents survived, but since they didn't, there was no chance to end the contract. Regardless, Harry decided to make the best of it, and find something to like about Daphne to make his betrothal with her easier, and who knows, maybe he'll actually end up falling in love with her.

"Well, I guess Daphne and I will have to make the bet of the contract." He said, voicing his thoughts, earning looks of approval from the four Slytherins.

"Well now Harry," Cyrus began, impressed by Harry's remark. "If I didn't know any better, that remark sounded more like a Slytherin response, more than a Gryffindor one. I'm surprised that you didn't end up in Slytherin House."

Harry grinned sheepishly, deciding to reveal to the Greengrasses, a little bit of information that he never told to anyone, not even to Ron and Hermione.

"Well, the Sorting Hat did consider putting me into Slytherin House," He sheepishly said, earning shocked looks from his godmother, and extended god-family. "But I ask it to put me into Gryffindor because I was kind of deterred away from it."

This earned an inquisitive look from Daphne, since she was in Harry's Year. Knowing that he was nearly sorted into Slytherin, but was deterred away from it, made her curious as what the circumstances were. There was however, one potentially obvious reason that Harry chose to go into Gryffindor.

"By any chance, was one of the reasons you asked not to be in Slytherin had to do with Malfoy?" She asked, having no doubts as Harry's face contorted into disgust at the Git of Slytherin's name.

"That was one of them, yes." He answered. "Another reason was that my best friend Ron Weasley told me that every Dark Wizard that graduated from Hogwarts came from Slytherin House, but I don't entirely believe that, since I've encountered a couple of nasty wizards from Ravenclaw, and a third from Gryffindor. Plus, one of the greatest wizards in Magical History, Merlin, came from Slytherin. So that kind of puts Ron's claim into question."

Elizabeth smiled at her godson's reasoning, especially as it mirrored the philosophy of his parents. Cyrus too, saw the similarity of Harry's beliefs, though he was curious as the identity of the wizards that he fought against. shaking his head, Cyrus decided to put a stop to the conversation, but pick it up again later.

"Well, I think we should take a break from this conversation," He said, preventing any further discussions among the group. "But we can continue any questions later, at dinner."

Nodding their heads, the group of five turned towards Greengrass Manor, and began to walk in.


	5. Chapter 4

"Speaking"

'_Thinking_'

"_Parseltongue_"

_Writing/Reading_

"_YELLING_"

_The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole_

Dumbledore popped into existence, as he saw the familiar mismatched house that was the, affectionately called, Burrow; the home of the Weasley Family. Dumbledore couldn't help but shake his head at how the far the family had come to end up in a place like this. There had of course been a time when the family had a manor of their own as well as a seat in the Wizengamot, but at some point the Family lost it all, eventually ending up here. Dumbledore knew that the Weasley Family seat on the Wizengamot was being kept in storage, waiting for the Family to reclaim it; but currently he had no intentions of getting the seat back for the Weasleys, as they were simply nothing more but pawns in his plan to control Harry Potter. A plan that was disturbingly coming apart, much to Dumbledore's dislike.

Dumbledore used the closeness between Harry and the Weasleys to his advantage, including his bond with Hermione Granger, though he was concerned about the possibility of them discovering a secret about her. A secret that he carefully hid away, and wanted to make sure that it was never discovered. Regardless, he knew that he could use the close bond between the Weasleys and Granger with Harry; but if Harry started to become close to the Greengrass Family, particularly to Daphne Greengrass due to the betrothal contract, then all of his plans would be ruined. As Dumbledore mulled over his thoughts, he failed to noticed a certain snowy white owl leaving the Burrow.

Dumbledore walked up to the door, and knocked. As he waited for someone to answer the door, he quickly collected himself, and brought out his grandfatherly smile, and the twinkle in his eyes. Very soon, the door opened, and Dumbledore saw Molly Weasley at the door.

'_Perfect, just the person I need to help put my plans back in order._' Dumbledore thought to himself, mentally smirking, as Molly was the most blindly loyal individual to him, more than even Minerva McGonagall or Hagrid. '_Molly will help ensure that my plans are back in order, after all she was the one that chose to treat Harry like he was another son, giving me just the thing I need to use her against Harry; even is she isn't aware that she's being used against her "son"._'

"Why Albus, hello." Molly greeted the headmaster, unaware of his thoughts. "Oh please, come in, come in. I must say, I wasn't expecting a visit from you today."

Dumbledore followed the red headed woman into the kitchen of the Burrow, and turned as she shut the door. He knew that he had to play his cards correctly, in order to appeal to Molly's motherly nature and care for Harry, if he was to get her on his side.

"Good day Molly, I'm actually hoping if I could speak to you and Arthur about something important," He said, choosing his words carefully. "It's about Harry. I fear that he may be in grave danger."

As soon as Molly's eyes went wide with fright, Dumbledore knew that he had her right where he wanted her. Quickly as she could, Molly abandoned whatever she was about to do, and began to lead Dumbledore to the living room. Once in the living room, Dumbledore saw Arthur Weasley sitting in a chair, reading what looked like a letter. Unsure as the contents of the letter, Dumbledore decided to proceed carefully; he didn't want to run the risk of losing the Weasley Family, as they were one of his main means of keeping control over Harry, even if they weren't aware of it.

"Arthur dear?" Molly said to her husband, getting his attention. "Professor Dumbledore is here, to speak to us about Harry. I think we should hear what he has to say."

Arthur stood up from his chair, and approached his wife and former headmaster. Dumbledore again, felt pleased that he would be able to get the Weasleys to do exactly what he wanted. He just needed to say the right words, and he could get the Weasleys or anyone who were blindly willing to follow him, to do what he wanted.

"Albus, what's this all about?" Arthur asked, concerned for the boy that he, like Molly, came to revere as a seventh son. "Does this have anything to do with Harry staying with the Greengrass Family?"

Dumbledore couldn't help but feel concerned by how Arthur Weasley had already known where Harry was going to stay, especially as it was something that Dumbledore wasn't planning to allow, until he learned of the betrothal contract. Nevertheless, he needed the Weasleys, if he was to keep Harry under his thumb.

"As a matter of fact it does," Dumbledore carefully worded, determined to get the Weasleys on his side. "May I ask, how you knew about Harry being at the Greengrasses?"

Arthur shared a look with Molly, and then handed the letter in his hand to the headmaster. As the conversation continued, Molly began to wonder if there was something off with Dumbledore. Even though she had yet to read the letter from Harry, she knew that he would be at the Greengrass family home since Arthur told her; she had been hesitant to allow Harry to go to a family that she believed to be dark, but then again, perhaps she was wrong about them.

Dumbledore read the letter thoroughly, and as he read it, he couldn't help but feel up set by the contents of the letter.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,_

_I hope this letter finds you well today, as I wanted to inform you that there was a bit of a change in plans , in regards to the Quidditch World Cup. As I'm sure that Mr. Weasley is aware, a man named Mr. Greengrass approached him to inform him that he and his wife would be having me at their home, and then he would drop me off at your home, along with his daughter, Daphne Greengrass. The reason for this, as I learnt from Daphne when Professor Dumbledore brought her to my Muggle relatives' home, is that Daphne's mother, Mrs. Greengrass is apparently my godmother, and Daphne and I are betrothed to each other. My godmother wants to see me and get a chance to know me, as well as give me a chance to get to know Daphne, something that I am willing to admit, I am equally interested in doing as well._

_I know and understand that this wasn't what was originally agreed upon when I would be coming to the Burrow for the summer, but I do want to know more about my godmother Elizabeth Greengrass, and get to know Daphne. Who knows, maybe this'll finally end the longstanding feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin House. I hope that you won't mind having a Slytherin, or maybe a couple of Slytherin students, in your home, given your dislike for Lucius Malfoy, and that Daphne will be welcomed into your home. I'll see you in about a week and a half._

_I truly hope you understand my decision to spend some time at the Greengrass family home, but until now, I was unaware that I even had a godmother. Knowing that I have one now, I want to be able to get to know her, and find out why she didn't look for me, and thus get to know her better. I even sent a letter to Remus Lupin, who was Ron, Hermione, and my DADA professor this recent school year, asking if he was aware that I had a godmother._

_Don't be concerned that I'm writing to a werewolf, because Professor Lupin was a good and close friend to my parents, when they were in classes together at Hogwarts. If my parents were more than willing to be friends with Lupin, in spite of his "Furry Little Problem", as he said that they called it, then I don't see why I can't form a close bond with him either. If anything, Lupin was more than likely an honorary uncle for me as an infant, and I am more than happy to rekindle that relationship; something that he too is interested in doing._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry J. Potter_

Dumbledore couldn't believe what was happening; how was it possible that Harry was able to send a letter to the Weasleys, and Lupin, without him noticing? He could only assume that the boy had done so when he was still at the Dursley home, and Dumbledore had been too focused on trying to figure out how to keep the boy on the track that he needed him to be. There was also the possibility that Harry may have sent out other letters as well.

"When exactly did this letter arrive Arthur?" Dumbledore asked, using his skills in Occlumency to keep his emotions in check.

Arthur Weasley took the letter back, and handed it to his wife, before looking back to Dumbledore.

"Not too long ago Albus," He answered. "Hedwig had just arrived twenty minutes ago, and delivered this letter, along with two other letters for Ron and Hermione. I had just sent a response back with her, informing Harry that we would accept his reason for staying with the Greengrasses, and look forward to him coming here."

Dumbledore's eye once again twitched, truly disliking how his plan was crumbling, before he even had a chance to incorporate it. He needed the Weasleys on his side if he was to get Harry away from the Greengrasses; Lady Greengrass being the boy's godmother be damned. As he was trying to think and figure out a way to get his plans back in order, the sound of feet loudly stomping down the stairs attracted the adults attention. In doing so, they saw Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger coming down into the living room, arguing no less.

"_IT'S NOT RIGHT HERMIONE!_" The youngest Weasley boy shouted, his face red in anger no doubt as he yelled at the bushy haired Gryffindor girl. "Harry shouldn't be anywhere near any snake that's in Slytherin House, past or present!"

As Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend, the adults easily figured from the tome of the boy's tone, that he was referring to Harry Potter being with the Greengrass Family.

"Give it up Ron, Harry is going to the Greengrasses," Hermione replied back, the tone of her voice suggesting that she was doing her best to keep her anger in check. "It's his right if he wants to know his godmother, whether you like it or not."

"_GODMOTHER MY ARSE_" Yelled Ron. "The Greengrasses probably just said that so that they can kill Harry! Everyone knows that Slytherins can't be trusted, since they're all Death Eaters or future Death Eaters in training!"

"_RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY!_" Shouted Molly, angered by the choice of words used by her youngest son. "Hermione is correct, Harry has a right to know his godmother, and it is not your place to argue with it."

"Actually Molly, perhaps your son is correct." Dumbledore said, stepping in to get a handle on the situation, especially since Ronald Weasley had just given him an idea. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before I dropped Harry off at the Greengrasses, but their claim of Elizabeth Greengrass being Harry's godmother, and their eldest daughter being betrothed to Harry may not have been the truth."

Dumbledore couldn't help but smirk to himself as he watched the elder Weasley's think of what he said, as Hermione Granger also looked thoughtful on his words, while the youngest Weasley boy gave a smug smirk to the girl when Dumbledore supported him.

"I don't know Albus," Arthur Weasley said, looking unsure as though he should say what he was about to say. "The Greengrass Family has always been a neutral family. I remember that they took no role whatsoever in either side of the previous war against You-Know-Who, and it was also very well known that the Potter and Greengrass families were old family friends and allies."

Dumbledore couldn't help but silently grumble at Arthur for somehow knowing that one piece of information that he himself was unaware of, until he had been contacted by the Greengrass Family. If there was one thing that Albus Dumbledore hated, other than his plans not going according to how he set them up, was not having access to important information that would benefit him and his plans. Regardless, Dumbledore needed to get things in order; perhaps if he could confuse the Weasleys, he might be able to get them to do what he wanted them to do, in accordance to his plans.

"Are you sure about that Arthur?" He asked, his voice in a tone that would ensure confusion among the Weasleys. "Are you certain that Harry's family were allied and family friends with the Greengrass family? How would you even have know that?"

Dumbledore smugly watched as Arthur Weasley was about to answer his question, all with a look of confusion on his face, but to everyone's utter shock it was Molly Weasley who answered instead. What concerned Dumbledore the most, was the fact that she had an angry look on her face.

"Because the Weasley Family also have an alliance with the Potter Family, and Arthur has often passed Lord Greengrass in the Ministry, and has on more than one occasion spoke with him!" She stated, her teeth clenched and her voice held an angry clip in it. "Furthermore, there have been a few times that Arthur and I were invited to tea by the Greengrasses, and they told me and Arthur once that Lady Elizabeth Greengrass was once close friends with Lily Evans, and continued to do so after she married James Potter, whom was also a childhood friend of Lord Cyrus Greengrass; that's how Arthur and I came to know that Lady Greengrass was chosen by Lily Potter to be Harry's godmother. When Lady Greengrass learned that Harry often visits here, she contacted me, to ask if I could inform her where Harry was living, I was obligated to tell her where he was; but I also recommended her to contact you first, so that there would be no problems for her and her family.

"Ever since Harry came into our lives, you told us not to say anything to him about his heritage," She continued, her anger at herself for not fulfilling her duties as a friend to the Potters just because Dumbledore asked her and Arthur not to. "Because you said that you would tell Harry what he needed to know! But when Lady Greengrass reached out to me, asking me if I knew where Harry was and that she wanted to finally reacquaint herself with her godson, that's when I realized that you never fulfilled your promise. I'm done, taking your orders, and not doing anything, or saying anything to Harry, that would ensure that he will honor the memory of his parents, and family!"

Dumbledore stood stone-still in the middle of the room, shocked by what was happening. He always knew that Molly Weasley had a temper, and went to great lengths to make sure that he wasn't on the receiving end of it, but now he was.

"But Molly, given that..." He was about to say, but ended up being cut off.

"No, you will be silent and listen, you meddlesome old goat!" Mrs. Weasley retorted, shocking everyone with the insulting words that she used against Dumbledore. "You know as well as I do, that the duties and responsibilities of a godparent in the Wizarding world are sacred and taken very seriously! If the godparent had any intentions of using their duties to bring harm to their godchild, then Magic would lash out and cause harm to the godparent."

Dumbledore began sweating in that moment, as he was concerned that Molly would begin to suspect something might be off about the treatment of Sirius Black in 1981 and recently, and sadly, he recognized the inquisitive look in her eyes, and Arthur's as well. In truth, Dumbledore did know that wizards and witches took their duties as godparents more heavily than their Muggle counterparts. If the godparent did try to bring harm to their godchild, then Magic would take it upon herself to punish the offender; not just by stripping the godparent of their magic, but also their life as well. He had taken every precaution to make Sirius look like the culprit at the time, so that no one would argue that his duties as godfather would be valid. But now Molly Weasley, of all people, was starting to see through the cracks that she had opened up.

He knew he had to think of a way to get things back under control. Thankfully, he remembered an important detail about one member of the Weasley Family.

"What about your daughter, Ginny?" He asked, knowing that the young Weasley girl was his only chance now. " it's well known that she has a crush on young Harry; don't you want the two of them to be together? It would mean that Harry would finally be a true member of your family, and if Harry is betrothed to Daphne Greengrass, you lose your chance to better your family."

In that moment, Dumbledore regretted his choice of words, as both Arthur and Molly Weasley narrowed their eyes in anger at him. He could even feel the glare from the youngest Weasley boy in the back of his head, as well as the Granger girl. Then, another voice spoke up, coming from the stairs, a second feminine voice.

"I may have had a crush on Harry in the beginning, but not anymore."

Dumbledore and the others looked to see Ginny Weasley standing on the stairs, also glaring at Dumbledore. Dumbledore shivered at the power of the five flares that he was receiving, as he knew in that moment, that he had angered the people that he needed for his plans.

"I realized how foolish I was to constantly crush on Harry," Ginny continued, as she stalked down the stairs, her own glare still on Dumbledore. "But I have accepted that Harry needs to make his own choices, and if he's betrothed to Daphne Greengrass, then I accept that there's no chance for him and I to be together. I'll be more than happy to be friends with Harry. Besides, I recently discovered that I like girls, after having a talk with Hermione last night."

Dumbledore's face paled extremely; he was counting on Ginny Weasley's crush for Harry to make his plans work, but now even that was gone. And her admission of being a witch's witch, was another blow to his plan. He turned back to the adult Weasleys, hoping that he could rectify his mistakes, until Molly walked up into his face, her angry glare still prominent.

"I think it's time for you to leave Albus," She said angrily, almost in a hissing tone that made Dumbledore think of a feral cat. "And know this: you will never, ever, be welcomed back into this house, again, and any alliance that existed between the Weasleys and you, are henceforth null and void. So mote it be."

Awestruck by what was happening, Dumbledore found himself behind magically forced out of the Burrow, and off the grounds. Recovering from his stupor, Albus tried to get back into the Burrow, determined to make the Weasleys do what he wanted, even if he had to used the Imperious Curse on them, including "Granger". Unfortunately, just as he was about to step onto the grounds, he was violently thrown backwards, as the wards around the Burrow refused to allow him access to the property. Dumbledore groggily rose to his feet, and shook his head to clear it. He then looked back at the Burrow, and the usual twinkle in his eyes was gone, replaced by a raging flame, the anger he usually kept in check, now loose. His magic was rippling off of him in waves, as his carefully laid plans were coming apart, and he was finding it impossible to get it all back in hand.

In the end, he raised his head, and yelled at the heavens, releasing his pent up frustration and excess magic.

"_RAAAGH!_"

_Meanwhile, back in __The Burrow_

Molly Weasley was still fuming at the audacity of Albus Dumbledore. The man that she, and the majority of her family, had respected and praised. She then turned to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who were equally fuming at the headmaster.

"All three of you," She began, doing her best to keep her temper in check. " Go upstairs, and get ready for dinner tonight."

The three teens knew that the tone in Molly's voice left no room to argue, and went up the stairs. Once the three were out of earshot, Molly turned back towards the door, and started breathing angrily and heavily. Attempting to control her anger, she started pacing back and forth, as she thought of Albus' words.

'_How dare he!_' She thought you herself, as she paced in the living room. '_How dare that meddlesome old goat try to recommend that Ginny try to date and marry Harry, especially after he informed us of the betrothal contract between him and Daphne Greengrass!_'

It was a well known fact in the Magic World, that if a witch tried to get a wizard who was already betrothed to another witch to date and marry her instead, then there would be terrible repercussions. At best, she would lose her magic and become a squib, but at worst she would be killed by Magic itself. Dumbledore wanted to risk Ginny's life and magic, just so that he could get Harry away from his betrothed? Not going to happen, at least not on Molly's watch!

"Molly?"

Molly stopped in her tracks, and looked at her husband, and remembered the thoughtful looks that she managed to catch, indicated that the two girls seemed to be content with the knowledge that Harry would be betrothed to someone who was part of a family that was friends with his own, but Ron was still fuming. Molly knew that Ron would undoubtedly have a hard time accepting that Harry was going to be with a Slytherin, but honestly, as long as Harry would be happy, that was all that mattered to Molly. As Molly looked at her husband, she saw the look of curiosity that was prevalent on his face.

"Do you think, just a little, that Albus might be right?" He asked her, concern seeping into his voice. "The Greengrass Family do tend to be a bit secretive sometimes."

Molly shook her head, annoyed at the seed of doubt that were planted into her husband's head by Dumbledore. For so many years she and Arthur had been loyal to Dumbledore, but in the past three years, her faith in the headmaster had been shaken. Where to begin?

First would undoubtedly be Harry, Ron, and Hermione's First Year at Hogwarts. The three of them had to stop You-Know-Who from getting his hands on the Philosopher's Stone, and got through obstacles that a trio of eleven year olds were able to beat. On top of that, Harry practically had to face off You-Know-Who on his own, and ended up in the Hospital wing! Surely Albus Dumbledore could've established better obstacles to stop You-Know-Who, and keep Harry and the other students form being in danger. Furthermore, why would Dumbledore even allow the Stone to be in a school full of children, if You-Know-Who was still alive and seeking to use it, therefore putting the students at risk!

Then there was the trio's Second Year, where Ginny had been somehow been possessed by You-Know-Who, and Harry had to fight off a Basilisk! _A BASILISK FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!_ How could Dumbledore not suspect that such a creature might've been responsible for the petrification of the students, and not allow the school to be shut down just long enough to find the chamber of Secrets?! But no, instead, the school was allowed to remain open, and Harry had to end up going into the Chamber, slay a Basilisk, and rescue Ginny, and once again defeat You-Know-Who!

And now the trio's recent Third Year, that involved the whole debacle with Sirius Black, though admittedly Molly was starting to have her suspicions as to what was going on with that particular situation. Black had escaped form Azkaban, resulting in the Ministry to order the prison guards, the Dementors, to be station, at a school full of children! If that wasn't bad enough, but the Dementors had essentially attacked Harry, twice, and yet the Minister didn't remove those foul creatures after the two incidents, and Dumbledore didn't bother to push for the removal of the creatures. The more Molly thought about it, surely the Aurors would've been suitable, and definitely more preferable, to guard the school, rather than a bunch of soul sucking creatures that induced depression onto those they were near. Then finally Black was captured, though Harry nearly lost his life for a third time, when the Dementors surrounded them, only for Black to escape again, somehow right from underneath the Minister's nose.

Molly often wondered how Black managed to escape, not only from Azkaban, but also from Hogwarts, and right from under the nose of Cornelius Fudge, who in full honesty was a bumbling idiot, and Albus Dumbledore. But now, with the knowledge that Black was Harry's godfather, Molly was starting to question the official story that the Wizarding world was given, that fateful night of Halloween, 1981. Looking back at Arthur, Molly drew an uneasy breath, as she went to answer his question.

"No Arthur, I don't think Albus was right." She said, a small smile on her face, as she looked into her husbands eyes. "But I do think that he was trying to turn us against the Greengrasses."

"But Why?" Arthur Weasley asked, confusion and suspicion on his face. "Why would Albus try to turn us against the Greengrass Family, when we have no problems with them?"

Molly looked at her husband, her suspicions still rampaging through her mind.

"I think it's likely that Albus is trying to control Harry for some reason." Molly answered, her newfound disgust for the headmaster laced in her voice. "Arthur, how do you feel about the recent events at Hogwarts, these past three years?"

Arthur looked up at her, the look of contempt clear in his face. It was clear to Molly, that her husband was thinking the same as her, in regards to the past three years at Hogwarts, for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"I think something fishy is going on at Hogwarts." He answered her. "Everything that's happened at Hogwarts, has all seemed to have something to do with Harry trying to overcome a test, or beat You-Know-Who in some fashion, and Albus is spearheading all of it. But for the life of me, I cant figure out why."

"I agree Arthur, but right now, our focus needs to be on Harry, and our children." Molly replied, determination to protect her children, _all_ of her children, taking root within her heart.


	6. Chapter 5

"Speaking"

'_Thinking_'

"_Parseltongue_"

_Writing/Reading_

"_Yelling_"

_Greengrasses Manor_

Harry gazed around the room with awe, as the entrance room of Greengrass Manor was, in his observation, big enough to put the Dursley's entire house in it. The room was a simple white marble, but it was decorated with beautiful works of art, from marble busts, to beautiful tapestries, and several magical portraits of who Harry assumed were previous generations of Greengrasses. The entrance room led to a long hallway straight ahead of Harry, with a stairway right next it; there were also two doors on either side of the room, that more than likely led to other areas of the Manor. Although he had yet to see the rest of the Manor, Harry couldn't help but think that so far, the entrance room was the most beautiful room part of the Manor.

"Like it Harry?" Cyrus Greengrass asked him, a prideful smile on his face. "My family took great measures to make their home as different as possible from most Pureblood manors, and the entrance hall was definitely apart of that."

Harry couldn't help but feel that he agreed with Lor... no, Uncle Cyrus, as he was told outside. He had been treated well in the brief time that he had been here so far, and he was not going to jeopardize it by forgetting to be casual with the Greengrasses.

"Now Cyrus, don't start telling Harry about the history of the Greengrass Family just yet," Elizabeth Greengrass piped up, gently laying an arm around Harry's shoulders, causing him to flinch, to which both Greengrasses noticed. "He's only been here for about ten or fifteen minutes, and would undoubtedly like to have a small tour around the Manor, before dinner tonight."

Cyrus couldn't help but chuckle at the chastising from his wife, as he knew and understood where she was coming from. Elizabeth believed that children should be able to enjoy themselves whenever they were visiting someplace new, before learning the history of that place. She was undoubtedly trying to do the same for Harry, which made no difference to Cyrus, as it only made him love her even more.

"Of course dear, as always, you are correct."

Elizabeth, smirking at how she was able to get Cyrus to easily agree to her request, looked to Daphne and Astoria.

"Girls, could you please show Harry to his room," She said, looking at the two of them with a kind and loving look. "And then give him a tour of the Manor, while we wait for dinner to be prepared?"

"OK Mum!" Astoria said excitedly, before grabbing Harry's hand, and started dragging him off with her. "Come on Harry, I'll show you the best places in the Manor! Daphne will probably just show you the boring stuff like the library."

"Uhh, OK." Said Harry uncomfortably, as he looked back at Daphne, silently pleading with her to not leave him alone with the hyperactive Astoria.

Elizabeth and Cyrus laughed at Harry's obvious discomfort, while Daphne shook her head in exasperation, before she started following after her betrothed and sister. Elizabeth and Cyrus watched with amused smiles as the kids left. once they were alone however, their demeanor changed from amused and happy, to concerned and fearful. Harry's flinching reaction to Elizabeth putting her hand on his shoulder concerned them, along with the fact that he was skinnier and slightly shorter than the average teenage boy at his age should be. Elizabeth turned to her husband, her facial expression showing her concerns for her beloved godson.

"I don't like the way Harry looks Cyrus," Elizabeth said, looking towards the direction the children went in. "He looks like he doesn't eat that much, he's slightly shorter than he should be at his age; I honestly don't think the Dusleys take care of him the way they should be. But then again, considering what I remember from the few times I visited Lily's home in the summers between our school years in regard to her sister, Petunia hated magic, and anything or anyone connected with it, including Lily. I couldn't believe how she could willingly treat or call Lily in such hurtful words."

Cyrus gently wrapped an arm around Elizabeth's shoulders, and rubbed his hand up and down, calming her down.

"I understand darling," He replied, knowing full well that he wouldn't truly understand one hundred percent what his wife must've witnessed in regards to what Lily's sister treated her. "I think I recall James telling me of how his double date with Lily and her sister and Lily's potential brother-in-law not going so well, and I remember how those two never bothered to show any respect to the other guests at James and Lily's wedding. One thing I'll potentially regret is that I wasn't as close to Lily as you were in regards to friendship, but I promise that no matter what, James and Lily's son will have a family here."

Cyrus' promise seemed to have brought some ease to Elizabeth, as she formed a genuine smile on her face. The two then embraced each other, and drew into a kiss. As they were finishing their kiss, one of their house elves, a well dressed and groomed elf named Anakin, popped into the room. Anakin was wearing an elf sized butler style outfit in a pale blue color, that had the Greengrass Family crest emblazoned on one of the lapels.

"Master and Mistress, Anakin here to inform you that dinner will be ready in an hour." The elf reported, bowing respectfully to the Greengrass elders, who nodded in response with smiles on their faces. "Also Master and Mistress, there are some Floo-calls coming in from the Davis and Zabini families, requesting permission to come through the Floo, and join Master, Mistress, and young Mistresses for dinner tonight, as planned."

Elizabeth and Cyrus looked at each other in shock, as they remembered that they forgot to contact their friends, to inform them of Harry coming over, and wanting him to get used to being in Greengrass Manor. They knew that there was an intense rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses, and with Daphne and Astoria both being in Slytherin House, they didn't want to overwhelm Harry by surrounding him with other Slytherin students. Given that Harry's interaction with Daphne, and in extension Astoria, was more than likely limited to nearly nonexistent (thanks to Dumbledore more than likely), his interaction with Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini was probably the same; especially since the Potter Family were also once family friends and allies with the Davis and Zabini families along with the Greengrass Family. Elizabeth turned to Anakin to instruct him to inform the Davis and Zabini's that they wouldn't be able to come tonight, on account of Harry, when Cyrus spoke up first.

"Anakin, could you please bring Harry and the girls here real quick?" He said, an idea popping into his head.

Anakin nodded his head, and quickly popped away, to find Harry. With Anakin gone, Elizabeth turned to her husband, a confused look on her face.

"Cyrus, what are you up to?" She asked, slowly starting to suspect that her husband was up to something. "You know I don't want to overwhelm Harry, I just want to get him settled in first before we reintroduce him, properly, to the Davis's and the Zabini's. After all, Tracey and Blaise are both in the same House as Daphne and Astoria; not to mention that Daphne has stated that on a few occasions, Blaise has often been forced to hang out with Draco Malfoy. So more than likely Harry's feelings towards Blaise may more than likely be similar to his feelings towards the Malfoy Heir, and from what Daphne has told us, Harry and Draco Malfoy are hated rivals."

"I know dear, but I think we should let Harry decide for himself." Cyrus replied, defending himself. "We've always chosen to let the kids decide for themselves, on what to do. So if Harry is going to be staying with us, he should decide for himself, if he wants to allow himself to be surrounded by other teenagers his age."

As the teens came back into the room, Cyrus began to walk towards them, after he put his cane back into a nearby umbrella holder. As she watched her husband walk towards their lost and rediscovered family member, Elizabeth thought about what her husband said to her. She honestly couldn't argue that Harry should be surrounded by other children his age, but she really didn't want to overwhelm him with so much knowledge, and people.

"Well Harry, how did you like the room that you were given?" Cyrus asked, a warm smile on his face.

Elizabeth had insisted that Harry be given his own room, and personally decorated it. She had chosen to have the room decorated in Gryffindor colors, since Harry had been sorted into that particular House. The queen sized bed was covered with a scarlet blanket that had gold trimmings, with a pillow that had a gold pillow covering. She had even taken the liberty to have the room decorated with pictures that she and Cyrus had of each of Harry's parents, in the hopes that he could feel comfortable knowing he could see his parents throughout their youth.

"It was brilliant, Uncle Cyrus," Harry answered, a smile growing on his face. "I liked the colors that were chosen for the room, and I especially loved the pictures of my parents. It was nice to see them through their young life."

Cyrus smiled at Harry, before turning to Elizabeth. Elizabeth held a large smile on her face, pleased that her decorations were appreciated by her godson. Knowing that Harry was glad of the decorations, she stepped forward, and pulled him into an embrace, once again feeling him slightly tense, before he relaxed in her arms.

"I'm glad to hear that Harry," She said, her voice emotional, as she spoke to him. "Because I was the one who took responsibility for decorating the room. I thought that it would be good for you to have some familiar colors to give you a comforting feel while you were staying here. As for the pictures of your parents, I thought it would be a good idea for you to see them as they were when they were younger."

Harry smiled at his godmother's admission, as it was helping him to stay in Greengrass Manor easier, maybe even more homely. He reached his arms up, and wrapped them around her, returning the hug. Cyrus, Daphne, and Astoria looked at the embrace of godmother and godson with happiness and pride, as they felt that a piece of their family was restored. Cyrus was reluctant to interrupt the tender moment, but he wanted to know how Harry would feel about being around other kids his age, who were also from Slytherin.

"Harry, I hate to interrupt this moment between you and Elizabeth, but there's something I want to ask you." He asked, wanting to get matters taken cared of as soon as possible. "Now Elizabeth and I don't want to overwhelm you, but we accidentally forgot to cancel dinner plans with a couple of family friends of ours, who were also friends and allies of your family. Because of this, they are waiting for confirmation to come over for dinner, and for the kids to spend the night with Daphne and Astoria. Now, I don't want to allow them in, if you don't feel like being overly surrounded by Slytherins; I will inform them that tonight's plans are canceled for family reasons, and that'll be that. That is unless, you'd like to have other kids your age around, and you can learn more about your parents from the adults."

Harry thought about what his uncle was offering him. On one hand, Cyrus was giving him a chance to make new friends, and expanding his limited Slytherin friends with others that didn't share Malfoy's prejudicial views and ideals, as well as find out more about his family and parents. On the other hand, he understood that Harry preferred to take things slow, and was willing to cancel his original plans for Harry to be comfortable. Harry thought over his options, but the opportunity to learn more about his family was too great to pass up; and besides, it'll give him a chance to really see what a true Slytherin, other than Daphne and Astoria, should be, instead of the loudmouth Draco Malfoy.

"Uncle Cyrus, I'm more than willing to welcome more friends into my life," Harry said, holding his head up high. "And like I said before, regardless of whether they're Gryffindor or Slytherin, they're still kids like me."

Cyrus and Elizabeth looked at each other with grins on their faces, pleased by Harry's response. Cyrus in particular, was especially pleased that Harry was willing to open himself up to others, and looked at his honorary godson.

"Good, but if you're going to introduce yourself to other heirs of influential families, you're going to need better clothes than those bulky Muggle clothes." He said, pointing to Harry's "Dudley castoffs".

Harry felt slightly subconscious of the clothes, as he understood here Cyrus was coming from. He was about to respond, when Daphne stepped up and answered for him.

"They're the only clothes that Harry has daddy," She said, catching the attention of the others in the room. "They're cast offs from his fat cousin, that his Muggle aunt and uncle allow him to have."

Harry watched the reactions of the elder Greengrasses carefully. It was clear and obvious that they didn't like what Daphne had said about the Dursleys. Elizabeth in particular, was absolutely livid that her godson was being forced to wear his cousins far too big clothes, as though he shouldn't be given any sort of dignity.

"That's unacceptable!" She said, her face as red ass Mrs. Weasley's hair. "I will not allow my godson to wear any clothes, that are far too big for him. Fortunately with Magic, we can take some of your measurements, and have the house elves take them to a magical clothing store to have the clothes made. But later this week, I'll take you to Diagon Alley, so that we can get you some robes and Muggle clothes that actually fit you properly. Come on Harry, let's get your measurements taken."

Grabbing Harry's arm, Elizabeth dragged Harry into the parlor room, to have his measurements taken. Cyrus, Daphne, and Astoria watched as the Boy-Who-Lived was dragged off to have his measurements taken. It was a humorous thought, as they all began to chuckle, while going off to do their own things. All going off to get ready for dinner, and the guests who would be arriving in a few hours.


	7. Chapter 6

"Speaking"

'_Thinking_'

"_Parseltongue_"

_Writing/Reading_

"_**YELLING**_"

_Greengrass Manor Parlor Room_

Harry stood in front of the fireplace of Greengrass Manor, waiting for the guests to come through and greet them. He wasn't alone of course, as he was surrounded by the Greengrasses, with Daphne, Elizabeth, and Cyrus on his right, and Astoria on his left. As he waited with them, he was nervously wiping his hand down the new Acromantula silk robes that his godmother had specially ordered, courtesy of measurements that were taken to Madam Malkin's shop in Diagon Alley, courtesy of the female House-Elf Padme. Truth be told, Harry was never allowed to be present when guests were coming to Number four, so to find himself being present among the Greengrasses as they were waiting for a group of people to arrive, was a nerve wracking moment for him.

He guessed that Daphne and Astoria noticed what he what doing, because he felt their hands take each of his own. He looked into each of their eyes, conveying looks of thanks and appreciation for what they were doing, to which they smiled back at him. Unknown to the trio, Cyrus and Elizabeth noticed what the girls were doing for Harry, and a pair of proud smiles appeared on their respective faces. Finally the fireplace lit up, green flames signifying that the Floo was opening, with the first guest coming through.

First through the Floo, were a trio of brown haired individuals who were, to Harry's surprise, wearing clothe that looked like a mix of wizard robes and Muggle clothes. The first of the trio to exit the Floo was a man of about Cyrus' height and build, only unlike his uncle this man's hair was short, at least to the base of his skull. His face also possessed the same aristocratic outlines that Cyrus held, making Harry figure that he was a Pureblood, then the next guest out came to be a woman.

The woman had shoulder length hair, that was done up in an extravagant ponytail that curled down her shoulder. However unlike her husband, she did not possess the aristocratic facial features that both Cyrus and Elizabeth had, making Harry wonder if she was a Muggle or Muggleborn, but the surrounding skin around her kind brown eyes showed signs of smile wrinkles, signifying that this woman clearly smiled numerous times throughout her life. She possessed a good body shape that was nearly similar to Elizabeth, but not as curvaceous and was almost similar to Mrs. Weasley, at least as far as Harry could tell.

Finally the third member of the party came out, and Harry could tell that she was his and Daphne's age, as well as someone that even Ron might get along with, if the Chudley Cannons shirt was anything to go by. She was a fair mix of her parents, with a fair complexion, and semi-aristocratic features, but also with kind and mischievous brown eyes, while her hair hung loose down her back, with no extravagant style or accessories added to it. She also held a large smile on her face, as she looked at Daphne, though it did turn into a mischievous smirk when her eyes drifted down to her's and Harry's still embracing hands, causing both teens to quickly let go and blush red.

"So I take that this is the boy that you're betrothed to, huh Daphne?" She asked, hints of barely restrained laughter seeping into her voice.

Daphne and Harry both blushed a deeper red, if possible, until they were almost Weasley red. This caused the rest of the room occupants to laugh, as the dilemma of the two betrothed teens was somewhat humorous to them. This only served to make Harry and Daphne's mortification feel worse.

"Now Tracey, you know better than to tease Daphne," The girl's mother said, while still laughing. "Before you even have a chance to get to know her betrothed."

"Maybe so Mum, but I just had to do it." Tracey answered, before turning to Harry and dipping down to him. "Tracey Davis, Daphne's best friend and fellow soon-to-be Fourth Year Slytherin."

Harry was vaguely familiar with Tracey Davis, but knew that like Daphne, she was part of a separate Slytherin group that rarely didn't bother him, or go along with whatever Malfoy said. He also vaguely remembered that there were a couple of others, such as Blaise Zabini. With this in mind, Harry figured that it would be a good idea to try and socialize with these particular Slytherins. Shaking his head to refocus on the social interaction, Harry bowed back to Tracey, while also taking her hand and kissing the back of it, just as his uncle Cyrus was able to teach him, before the guests arrived.

"Pleasure to meet you Heiress Davis," He said, showing respect by referring her by her surname. "Heir Harry Potter, at your service."

Harry noted that there was a brief moment of awkwardness that arose from his last sentence, and couldn't understand why. He figured that he must've said something wrong, and was trying to figure out what it was. Then he realized what he did.

"Uhh... Heir Harry Potter, of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter," He quickly corrected himself. "At your service. Sorry, I'm just starting to learn the social cues that I should've learned along time ago."

The Davis' nodded their heads minutely, indicating that they understood. Cyrus had taken it upon himself to help Harry learn what he should've when he was a child, if he hadn't been put with the Dursleys. It was but another blow in Harry's mind against his headmaster, since he was denied not only the knowledge of his responsibilities as an heir of a magical family, but also his heritage, as he was being told by the Greengrasses. After correcting and finishing introducing himself to Tracey, the elder Davis' come forward.

"Adam Davis, at your service Mr. Potter." Tracey's father introduced. "Head and Lord of the Noble House of Davis. Though to be honest, I don't much care for the political stuff. Even though I am a Pureblood, I prefer to just keep my head down whenever possible. Something that I understand you prefer to do as well."

Harry couldn't help but nod at Mr. Davis' comment, as it was indeed true that Harry preferred to keep out of the spotlight. He had always preferred to stay out of sight ever since he was a kid with the Dursleys, and his time at Hogwarts had certainly been a mix of trying to stay out of the spotlight, and being forced into it. The combined escapades that he had to get into, and the taunting of Draco Malfoy, certainly didn't help either. Tracey's mother must've figured this, as she stepped forward.

"Now Adam, you know as well as I that the Potter Family have always preferred to keep out of the spotlight." She said, before looking at Harry with a gentle smile. "Helen Davis, a pleasure to see you again Harry. The last time Adam and I laid eyes on you, you were just a little babe resting in your mother's arms. For what it's worth, we are so sorry for the loss of your parents."

Harry nodded his head, indicating that he was appreciative of the condolences from Mrs. Davis. Every time Harry bumped into someone from the Magic world, they never apologized for the loss of his parents, but instead just thanked him for beating Voldemort, and overlooking the fact that he lost his mother and father. Now here he was, and instead of receiving praise for something that he barely even remembered, he was receiving condolences for his parents loss, and he truly was grateful to Mrs. Davis.

"Thank you for those kind words Mrs. Davis," He began, a small smile on his face as tears started to form. "You have no idea how much they mean to me. I hardly ever get any condolences for the loss of my parents, so hearing you say those words are truly appreciative."

The smiles that were present in the room quickly vanished, as everyone understood the gravity of Helen Davis' words. It was difficult to admit, but hardly anyone bothered to remember that a child had lost his parents. The Greengrass and Davis families, along with the Zabini family, were probably the only ones who remembered as they were each close friends with Harry's parents, other than Remus Lupin. As Helen moved to say something else to Harry, the Floo flared up again, as Belladonna and Blaise Zabini exited the green flames.

Harry recomposed himself to the acceptable posture for an heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, and studied the Zabini's. Belladonna Zabini, along with her son, had a dark olive complexion, with dark ebony hair flowing down her back in curly waves. She wore a midnight blue off the shoulder dress that not only accentuated her curves, but also her dark skin. She was definitely a beautiful woman, with sharp cheekbones that gave her an angular face. Harry had heard rumors in Hogwarts that Mrs. Zabini was a black widow, who attracted many husband's before they met their mysterious deaths, and he could definitely see that there appeared to be some merit to the rumors; at least in regards to her beauty.

Blaise Zabini, a teenage boy in Harry's Year, had similar facial features to his mother, though his hair was in a buzz-cut style, and also had the same skin complexion as Mrs. Zabini, giving merit to the belief that the Zabini's were of Italian heritage. He was dressed in Acromantula silk button up shirt, with dark pants and shoes. Harry had observed Blaise from afar on many occasions, and noted that he often showed contempt towards Malfoy and his cronies, and kept a vast distance from them. As a matter of fact, now that Harry thought about it, Blaise Zabini gave no indications that he had any sort of discrimination towards Muggleborns, and often look at Hermione with admiration. Harry walked towards his fellow Year-mate, but resolved to speak with him later.

"Heir Zabini, a pleasure to meet you officially," He greeted the dark-skinned Slytherin, gripping Blaise's hand in a respectful hold. "Harry Potter, Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Though since we go to Hogwarts together, I doubt there's any need for me to introduce myself in such a manner."

If Blaise was surprised at the formal greeting that Harry gave him, he gave no indications of any such. This in turn, earned Blaise Harry's respect, as it was sign of a true Slytherin, and not the kind that Malfoy was. The two boys released their grip, and looked at each other, before they bowed in respect to each other.

"Heir Potter, it is indeed a pleasure to meet you officially," He replied, looking back into Harry's green eyes. "Though I do have to agree that such introductions would not be necessary."

"But they are apart of tradition when formally greeting each other." Lady Zabini said, before holding out her hand to Harry, who took it and kissed it. "Lady Belladonna Zabini, at your services, Heir Potter. If I may say so, it's so good to see you again, since the last time I saw you was as a baby."

Harry couldn't help but smile, as he knew from her statement that she must've known his parents, if she had seen him as a baby.

"I take it then that you knew my parents, if you'd last seen me as a baby?" Harry asked, undoubtedly knowing the answer to the question.

"Yes I did, at least in regards to your father." She answered, a smile on her face as she reminisced on her past. "Our respective families were friends for a long time, similar to the Greengrass and Davis families. I knew your mother in passing through the Hogwarts halls, but I didn't get much of a chance to really get to know her like Elizabeth and Helen did."

Harry nodded his head in understanding, since his uncle Cyrus said something similar.

"Now that we're all here and introduced," Cyrus said, gesturing to the dining room. "Let's start making our way to the dining room."

The group of ten made their way to the dining room, taking various seats at the table. Harry himself made sure to pull out a chair for Daphne and Astoria, while Blaise did a similar thing for Tracey. The two boys then took their own seats, as the food appeared, courtesy of House Elf magic. Harry risked a glance towards Cyrus, who nodded his head in approval at Harry following his lessons.

"So Harry, tell us, how has your first three years at Hogwarts been?" Adam Davis asked, taking a small sip of champagne as he looked at the boy.

Harry tensed up, as he looked at the assorted guests and his godfamily, all of whom were looking at him in expectancy. He figured that they wanted to hear stories of his time at Hogwarts, stories that he honestly didn't want to reminisce over; especially about Sirius, if there was any chance of protecting him. He looked at Daphne, who was seated across from him, hoping that she could help him. He figured that she must've seen something in his eyes, because her face softened a little as she looked at him.

"It's okay Harry, you can tell us anything," She said, making sure that he knew that he would be supported. "You won't be judged for anything."

The other occupants looked at the two betrothed teens in confusion, as they couldn't understand what was going on. Harry sighed heavily, as he started telling them the story.


	8. Chapter 7

"Speaking"

'_Thinking_'

"_Parseltongue_"

_Writing/Reading_

"**_YELLING_**"

Harry started with what happened in his First Year, explaining how the Philosopher's Stone was taken out of a vault at Gringotts by Hagrid on Dumbledore's orders, and transferred to Hogwarts. How Harry met the Weasleys, and then Draco Malfoy for their rivalries to start. Harry moved on to talk of how the Sorting Hat put him into Gryffindor House, to how Ron and Hermione didn't start off on the right foot. How Harry, along with Ron, Hermione, and Neville were ticked by Malfoy into a midnight duel in which he instead told Filch and accidentally got in the Third Floor Corridor and came face to face with Fluffy the Cerberus, to the night of the troll during the Halloween Feast, and how Harry and Ron went to rescue Hermione from the troll, and became the best of friends after that.

Harry went on to talk of his first Quidditch match and suspecting Snape being the one to jinx his broomstick and going after the Stone. He then talked the obstacles that Dumbledore had the teachers set up to protect the Stone only for a trio of First Years to beat, to him finding out that it had been Professor Quirrel all along that was after the Philosopher's Stone, all so that Voldemort (which elicited sever shudders from the assorted dinner guests), who was on the back of the stuttering professor's head, could restore his body and full power. Harry then told them about how he had managed to stop Quirrelmort, simply by touching the man's skin and somehow burning the body by his touch, which Dumbledore later explained had to do with a protection given to Harry by his mother when she sacrificed herself to protect him from Voldemort as a baby. When Harry finished his tale of his First Year, everyone at the table looked at him in shock and horror, as they couldn't believe that this had been allowed to happen at Hogwarts. Growing up, they had all come to believe that there was nowhere safer than Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, but after hearing of Harry's First Year, they wondered if that was true anymore.

"Good Merlin, you mean to tell me that Dumbledore allowed all of that to happen," Elizabeth looked at her godson, fear and concern for him on her face. "And did nothing to stop it?"

"I figured the old man was daft at the Opening Feast," Blaise said, a contemplative look on his face. "But after hearing what you had to go through, I'm convinced that he is mad."

Harry looked at the dark skinned wizard, and tilted his head just slightly.

"If you had said that to me a year ago, I would've told you that you were wrong." He said, looking into the boy's onyx colored eyes. "But now, I'm starting to think differently."

The group thought heavily on Harry's words to Blaise, as Daphne reached across the table to take hold of one of Harry's hands. Elizabeth and Cyrus smiled at the gesture, wishing that James and Lily could be here to see this gesture between their children. Cyrus then turned to look at the son of his childhood friend.

"Tell us about your second year Harry, please." He asked, concerned at what they would learn.

Nodding his head, Harry then moved on to talk about his Second Year and the Chamber of Secrets, of how he had been visited by a House Elf named Dobby who was imploring him to not go to Hogwarts due to an impending danger, and how said House Elf had gotten Harry in trouble by performing Magic to drop a pudding on the wife of a business guest of his uncle's; which prompted an owl carrying a letter from the Ministry to inform Harry of a violation to the use of Magic outside of school. This in turned made Vernon Dursley lock Harry in his room, with bars placed on his windows, and a cat flap being put on his door for meals, until Ron and his brothers Fred and George came to rescue him from the Dursley's and spent the rest of the summer at the Burrow. How Harry went to Diagon Alley via Floo Powder only to not do a very good job and ended up in Borgin and Burke's in Knockturn Alley instead, where he saw Lucius Malfoy give some Dark artifacts away to avoid trouble with the Ministry. Harry then told of how he was found by Hagrid and taken to Flourish and Blotts where he met up with Hermione and the Weasley's, only to be pulled into a photo taking with Lockhart and seeing Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy get into a fistfight after Mr. Malfoy provoked Mr. Weasley into it.

Harry talked about how Mr. Malfoy shoved Ginny Weasley's second hand books back into her cauldron after the fight when he was finished inspecting them, which would lead to the events at Hogwarts. Harry spoke of how the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4 was closed off to him and Ron (which confused everyone at the table), which led to the two boys to take Mr. Weasley's flying car and driving it all the way to Hogwarts, only to crash into the Whomping Willow, and got detention for it. Harry spoke of how he started hearing voices in the walls, and finding Mrs. Norris the cat petrified with the message of the Chamber of Secrets being opened, and how he would eventually be blamed for the petrifications when it was learned that he could speak parseltongue, and thus labeled as the Heir of Slytherin. Harry talked about how he had his arm broken by a bewitched Bludger courtesy of Dobby, who revealed that the Chamber had been opened fifty years prior, which lead to Harry, Ron, and Hermione tried to use Polyjuice Potion to spy on Malfoy to find out of he was the Heir of Slytherin, only to find out he wasn't; but did lead to the trio learning that a Muggleborn had been killed by the Monster of Slytherin.

Harry then went on to explain how he found the Diary of Tom Riddle, and how it showed a memory of Riddle capturing Hagrid with a spider that was blamed as the monster of Slytherin, but when Harry and Ron went to speak with Hagrid before he was taken to Azkaban by Fudge for his connection fifty years ago, they would follow spiders into the Forbidden Forrest and would later learn from Aragog, the very Acromantula spider that was blamed for the girls death, that Hagrid was never the one who opened the Chamber. Harry then talked of how he and Ron discovered that Hermione figured out that the monster was a Basilisk, which could kill if anyone looked directly into it's yellow eyes, but were petrified if they looked into them indirectly, which all of the victims had done so far, and then proceeded to try and tell Professor Lockhart when he was chosen to rescue Ginny when it was learned that she had been taken down to the Chamber, but instead found out that he was in fact a fraud, and went to speak with Moaning Myrtle, who was the Muggleborn student that was killed by the Basilisk. Harry told of how he learned the sink in Myrtle's bathroom was the entrance to the Chamber, and when he and Ron, along with Lockhart, found a long snakeskin that belonged to the Basilisk, and Lockhart trying to use Ron's broken wand to erase their memories, but instead erased his own memory, and caused a cave in that separated Harry from Ron, and proceeded to fight the Monster of Slytherin alone. He then talked of how he spoke with a memory of sixteen year old Tom Riddle, of how Riddle revealed that he was not only the Heir of Slytherin, but also Lord Voldemort by using his wand to write his full name, rearranged it to say _I AM LORD VOLDEMORT_, revealing that he was in actuality a Halfblood (which shocked the assorted Slytherins, since it revealed that the leader of the bigot Purebloods was the opposite of what they saw as a true leader of magic).

Harry told of how Riddle released the Basilisk on Harry, but fortunately had it's eyes pecked out by Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes who also brought the Sorting Hat, from where Harry drew the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, and slayed the Basilisk by piercing the inside of it's mouth, while also getting a fang stuck into his arm, allowing the creatures venom into his body. Harry then talked of how he used the fang to destroy Tom Riddle's diary, after Fawkes cried on his wound to heal him and stop the venom in his blood, which destroyed the memory of Tom Riddle, who was trying to steal Ginny's magic and life-force. Harry then finished the story of how he talked with Dumbledore about the fact that Harry had managed to pull Gryffindor's sword proving that he was a true Gryffindor. Harry then finished the story with how he used the diary, and a sock, to trick Lucius Malfoy into freeing Dobby (which earned a laugh from Tracey, Blaise, and Astoria as they imagined how Draco's father could've looked after being humiliated).

If the other table guests were surprised at what happened in Harry's First Year, then they were certainly shocked by what he described for his Second Year. For Harry's fellow students, they were awed at the fact that Harry had managed to slay the monster of their House Founder, with a relic of another Hogwarts Founder. Admittedly none of them really believed that Harry could've been the Heir of Slytherin, especially since he was best friends with a Muggleborn, but they never said anything against the rumors because Malfoy was enjoying the trouble that Harry was going through on account of the rumors. As for the parents, they were shocked and surprised at the revelations that they were learning. They had heard about the petrifications that were going on at Hogwarts, but the revelation that they were being caused by a _BASILISK_ of all creatures, was frightening.

They were also appalled at the fact that the school was being allowed to operate, when such a creature was slithering loose in the castle. That essentially put _ALL_ of the students in danger, not just the Muggleborns. Even if Dumbledore was unaware of the creature in his school, he should've taken precautions and ordered the school to be shut down, to investigate what was going on. Cyrus leaned back into his chair, wondering what Dumbledore was up to. He worked as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, and was close friends to Amelia Bones; clearly this was a situation he would have to look into with her, when he had a chance. He then looked up at the boy his eldest daughter was betrothed to, remembering that he had one more year to go through, and was greatly concerned to learn what he went through.

"What about your Third Year, Harry?" He asked, concern etched into his tone.

Harry looked at his future father-in-law, and felt glad that someone was concerned for him, and thus felt compelled to talk about his Third Year. He was a bit hesitant to talk about Sirius and how he helped him escape, especially when he was talking in a room of current and former Slytherins, but something inside in him told him that it was okay to talk about Sirius. Besides, if Elizabeth was close friends with his mother, and Sirius was his father's, then perhaps there was away she and her husband could help in clearing Sirius' name. So he went ahead and began the story of his Third Year at Hogwarts.

He started by telling them of how his uncle Vernon's sister Marge Dursley stayed at Number Four for the duration of July, and made his time miserable, all the way to the final night of her stay. He elaborated of how Marge, in her drunken stupor, was insulting the memories of his parents, and how it was her insults against his mother that really upset him (and as it appeared, it also upset his godmother, and everyone else at the table to hear how the memories of their friends were openly insulted). Harry then went on to talk of how he lost his anger, and his magic caused Marge to inflate into a human balloon, and then left the house before his uncle could take his anger out on Harry, and to avoid trouble with the Ministry. He went on of how he dragged his chest for a certain distance until he reached a playground, where he saw a Grimm (which freaked out Daphne and his godmother), and reacted by bringing his wand up, only to inadvertently summon the Knight Bus.

Harry then explained of how he learned from the Knight Bus conductor about how Sirius Black supposedly being a follower of Lord Voldemort, and was the first prisoner of Azkaban to escape from said prison. Harry then told of how he arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, where he met with Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge (which everyone at the table snorted in contempt), and was told that he was in no trouble for what happened to Marge, and that he was to stay in the Leaky Cauldron until it was time to leave for school. He then told of how when the Weasley's arrived, he had later overheard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arguing behind a closed door of how the Minister forbade Mr. Weasley from telling him the true reason of Sirius' escape being Harry, and when later the Dementors attacked the train, and Harry remembered the night that his mother was killed by Voldemort (which caused Daphne to grip his hand, and Elizabeth to get up and walk to Harry's seat, and embrace him in a comforting hug, to which Harry surprisingly didn't flinch from like usual). Harry spoke of how he had chosen Divination and Care of Magical Creatures as his electives, in which he preferred CoMC, instead of Divination, on account of Trelawney predicting his death.

Harry spoke of how Hagrid specifically instructed the class to _NOT_ insult a Hippogriff, and Draco Malfoy instead turning around and doing exactly that, only to pretend that his arm was broken, and his father to petition for Buckbeak the Hippogriff to be destroyed. Harry then went on of Remus Lupin teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts about Bogart, and his Bogart being a Dementor (which impressed the dinner guests, and for the Slytherin students to back up how Lupin was a tremendous teacher), to which when Sirius tried to break into Gryffindor Tower two times, to when Snape taught the DADA lessons on werewolves, to Harry played Quidditch against Hufflepuff, and the Dementors attacked him at the Quidditch field when they weren't supposed to, and fell off his broom which then flew into the Whomping Willow. Harry talked of how he got a hold of the Marauders Map, which was a map charmed to show where everyone was in Hogwarts (which impressed the adults and students alike, though Cyrus looked amused and reminiscent), courtesy of the Weasley twins, and used both it and his invisibility cloak to sneak into Hogsmeade, threw snowballs at and humiliated Malfoy, and later overheard McGonagall, Fudge, Hagrid, and Madam Rosmerta talk of how Sirius Black was close friends with his father, and was made his godfather, as well as serving as the secret keeper only to betray his parents to Voldemort, and killed twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew with only a finger left of him. Harry spoke of how he would later receive a Firebolt as a Christmas gift, from whom no one at the time knew who sent it, and Hermione telling McGonagall which led the professor to confiscate the broomstick to make sure it wasn't charmed to be a danger to Harry; which caused Harry and Ron to shun and ignore Hermione for a couple weeks (which earned him a disappointed look from Elizabeth, as well as a glare from Blaise, making him wonder what Blaise thought of Hermione), only to eventually get the broomstick back, and apologizing to Hermione for his behavior.

Harry talked of how one night he saw Peter Pettigrew's name on the Marauder's Map, which he admitted confused him since he was supposed to be dead, and went to investigate it, only to be caught by Snape and Lupin, and had his Map confiscated by Lupin; who he had told about Pettigrew being on the Map. Harry then talked of how Ron's pet rat Scabbers disappeared and framed Hermione's cat Crookshanks for the rat's supposed death, which caused the youngest Weasley boy to shun Hermione again, and how Harry got Lupin to teach him the Patronus charm (which impressed the adults). How he would go to Hagrid's hut with Ron and Hermione to help him with Buckbeak's execution, to Hagrid giving Ron Scabbers back, and the trio having to sneak back out before Dumbledore, Fudge, and the executioner Macnair arrived, to Scabbers biting Ron's hand and ran to the Whomping Willow only for the Grimm to grab Ron's leg, and dragged both him and Scabbers into a hole between the roots of the Whomping Willow, which Harry and Hermione discovered was the opening to a secret tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack, after they managed to get past the Whomping Willow. Harry explained in great detail, of how it was there that he and his friends learnt that Sirius Black was an Animagus who could turn into a big shaggy dog that looked like a Grimm, discovered that Hermione figured out that Remus Lupin was actually a werewolf because of Snape's assignment of the creature, and found out the truth from both Sirius and Remus (after Harry had to knock Professor Snape, which thankfully only earned him a shrug from his fellow Slytherin students), that Sirius wasn't actually the secret keeper, or actually kill Pettigrew, but instead revealed that Sirius had secretly switched places with Pettigrew, who was apparently a secret spy of Voldemort's, and told the Dark Lord of where he and his parents were hiding in Godric's Hollow.

Harry told them of how after Voldemort killed his parents, Sirius went after Pettigrew to find out what happened, only to find out that he was the one who betrayed his parents to Voldemort, and tried to get him, but instead Pettigrew managed to get the drop on him by blowing up the street, which killed the twelve Muggles, cut off his own finger, and turn into a rat, which was his Animagus form, faked his own death, and lived with the Weasley Family as a rat for twelve years. After that, Sirius was sent straight to Azkaban without a trial, and spent twelve years in the prison for a crime he never committed, and with Lupin's help he was going to actually kill Pettigrew, but Harry stopped them, convincing them that Pettigrew deserved to be sent to Azkaban and be submitted to the Dementors for his crimes. Harry shared of how Sirius offered to give him a home after his name was cleared, and get him away from the Dursleys, but unfortunately was unable to do so, because the night apparently fell on a night with a full moon, and Remus hadn't taken his wolfsbane potion that night, and as he transformed, Pettigrew used the distraction to transform and escape. Harry then explained how Snape came out, and tried to shield them from werewolf Lupin, of how Sirius transformed into his dog form and managed to chase Lupin away, only for Harry to chase after them, and after Lupin was called away by a wolf howl, he then followed after an injured Sirius, only to be cornered by over a hundred Dementors that tried to suck out both Sirius soul, and his.

Harry told them of how he saw a corporal Patronus in the shape of a stag, chase away the Dementors, and made him believe that it was his father who saved him, only to lose consciousness, and wake up again in the Hospital Wing and learn that Sirius was captured, and planned to be exposed to the Dementor's Kiss. Harry explained how he and his friends tried to explain the truth to Fudge, but were ultimately ignored by the man, and were told that they didn't understand anything about the reality of things yet. Harry revealed that Snape was going along with the Minister's plan to have Sirius given to the Dementors, instead of backing up Harry and his friend's claims of Sirius' innocence, and of how Dumbledore subtly told Hermione to use her time turner to go back in time with Harry to free Buckbeak, and save Sirius. Harry revealed of how he was the one who made the stag Patronus that banished the Dementors, and with Hermione on Buckbeak's back, freed Sirius from Professor Flitwick's office, and made it back to the Hospital Wing for Fudge to come in and bemoan of how bad he'd look for Sirius' escape.

At this point, the others were horrified and upset at the level of sensibility that Hogwarts had come to under Dumbledore's supervision. Being a Ministry worker, Cyrus had been made aware of the Minister's plan to have the Dementors guard Hogwarts, and took his objections straight to Fudge, only to have the man dismiss his concerns. He then went to Dumbledore, hoping that the man would see that having Dementors at Hogwarts was a terrible idea, as it meant exposing the students to the negative influence of the dark creatures, but to Cyrus' shock and horror, he sided with Fudge, allowing the Dementors to be at Hogwarts. Dumbledore has assured him that the creatures would only be kept to the outskirts of the school grounds, but that meant little to Cyrus if it meant that Daphne and Astoria were going to be near those things. Afterwards, whatever little respect Cyrus had for his former headmaster, was gone, and he had tried to convince Elizabeth to pull the girls out of Hogwarts for that year, and home school them, but she wouldn't hear of it, saying that it was wrong to deny them the privilege of being with their friends.

Relenting, Cyrus instructed both of his girls to be careful around the Dementors, and to stay away from them as best as they could, and report of any incidents involving the creatures, something that the two did explicitly. Cyrus tried to petition in the Wizengamot for the removal of the Dementors from Hogwarts with the incidents on the train and the Quidditch Pitch and replace them with capable Aurors instead; a petition that was supported by nearly every single parent in the Wizengamot, but was ultimately overruled and ignored by Fudge and his supporters. But learning that an innocent man had been sent to Azkaban without a trial for twelve years, and that the Minister was unwilling to hear what his side of the story was and immediately subject him to a fate worse than death? Unacceptable!

Elizabeth couldn't believe what her godson had to go through for his first three years at Hogwarts, and was even more resolved to get him under his custody. As for Sirius, she had admittedly had her doubts about the man's guilt in regards to what happened to James and Lily, but now learning of what happened to him from Harry's recounting of his Third Year, she was determined to help prove his innocence. Plus, it would give her the chance to knock him upside the head for going after Pettigrew instead of taking care of Harry. If he had done so, then Harry wouldn't have gone to the Dursleys, or be away from her, and the rest of his extended family for as long as he did, and be stuck underneath Dumbledore's thumb. Something that she was determined to undo, as she refused to allow the old man to manipulate and control her godson any further.

"I can't believe, that Dumbledore could allow all of that to happen." Astoria said, more or less to herself than to the rest of the table, but said it out loud for the others to hear.

Blaise snorted at Astoria's statement, and looked at her chidingly.

"I could, considering that he's proven to be a manipulative arse that's clearly trying to prepare Potter for something." He said to her, looking at Astoria with a condescending stare that made her squirm. "I mean, **_BLOODY HELL ASTORIA_**! The old man put a powerful magical artifact to lure You-Know-Who into a school full of children, allowed students to be petrified by a creature that he probably didn't know was a Basilisk but had to suspect something nonetheless, and allowed a bunch of soul sucking Dementors to roam around Hogwarts in proximity of students, just so that Potter could stop them, and be under his thumb! Do you think he really cares about what happens to the rest of us, as long as Potter is under his manipulative control?"

"**_BLAISE ALEXANDER ZABINI, WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE YOUNG YOUNG MAN_**!" Lady Zabini yelled, appalled at her son's behavior. "We are guests of Cyrus and Elizabeth, and I didn't raise you to be insult their youngest for trying to understand the manipulations of an old man who seeks to control what goes on in our world."

Blaise couldn't help but feel himself shrink in his chair, as he found himself on the receiving end of his mother's tirade, but also found himself on the receiving end of a glare form Harry. Blaise honestly found himself to be more intrigued by the glare, and looked at the Gryffindor Golden Boy.

"While I do have respect for your mother, let me make it clear to you Zabini," Harry said to Blaise. "I will not allow any insults to be thrown at my godsister, _not_ one, on that I swear!"

Blaise shuddered at the intensity of Potter's vow, and understood where he was coming from. Blaise truly cared for Astoria as a friend, but it was clear to him that Potter had come to care about her as a little sister, despite the short amount of time he had already with the Greengrass family. This earned a sense of respect for Potter, Harry, from Blaise, as he nodded at Harry's vow to defend Astoria. Fortunately for Blaise, Lady Greengrass stepped in, and saved him.

"Harry, I just need to know for sure," She started, looking at Harry. "Are you certain, for sure, that Sirius is innocent?"

Everyone looked at the Potter Heir, waiting to hear his answer. Harry stared at his godmother intently, conveying all of his sincerity to the max that he had.

"Yes, Aunt Elizabeth, I am certain." He replied, his conviction heavy in his voice. "Sirius is innocent, and the Ministry won't do anything to give him the trial he properly deserves. Dumbledore said he would try to do something to convince the Ministry, but considering everything that I've come to realize about him now, I honestly doubt that he's actually going to do anything."

Elizabeth nodded at her godson's answer, and sat back, wondering how she could help Sirius, while also wanting to get her hands on the rat Peter Pettigrew, and make him pay for betraying James and Lily to You-Know-Who. Even when she was a student at Hogwarts, she never liked the cowardly Gryffindor, and often pleaded with Cyrus to convince James to not be around him after she and Cyrus started dating; she even tried to convince Lily after school, to get James to cut off all ties to Pettigrew, but both of them often refused, since they each respectively took pity on him. Cyrus too, contemplated on how he could help his old friend, while also developing a similar sense of wanting to get back at Pettigrew as his wife, and mentally wished he had listened to Elizabeth back in Hogwarts. He couldn't help but wonder if James and Lily would still be alive, had he listened to Elizabeth about Peter in the first place. He then had an idea pop into his head on how to help Sirius, and looked up at Harry.

"As a Ministry worker myself," Cyrus said, earning a look from his honorary nephew. "I take mild offense to that comment about the Ministry, but I admit that it is a deserved comment. In any case, tell me, did your parent's will say anything about Sirius in it?"

The responding look from Harry threw Cyrus off, and gave him cause for concern. Did the Goblins not mention James and Lily's will when Harry went to Gringotts at eleven? Because the will would've been a valuable piece of information for Harry to know. Cyrus also wondered if something happened to the will after James and Lily's death, to ensure whatever was in it wouldn't happen.

"My parent's will?" Harry asked, confirming Cyrus' suspicion. "I was never told of any will from my parents."

"_**YOU'RE KIDDING!?**_" Tracey yelled out, shocked that an heir of an important House such as Harry's, to be in the dark of an important document from his parents. "You should've been told about your parents will when you turned eleven, and went to the Goblins to have it read. It's important that the will be read to you, to know what you may have had left to you by your parents."

Harry looked at the brunette Slytherin with a look of incredulity, until he thought of something.

"Wait, when I turned eleven?" He asked, looking at Tracey to be sure, and received a nod from her. "Because when I went to Gringotts when I was eleven, I was with Hagrid, who took me there, on orders and instructions from Dumbledore."

Everyone considered the words that Harry just said, and wondered carefully if that had been done carefully by Dumbledore. It was a well known fact that Hagrid, while extremely friendly to others, was exceedingly loyal to Dumbledore. So it wasn't hard to imagine that Dumbledore could've told Hagrid to take Harry to Gringotts to get what he needed for his school supplies, but to make sure that he didn't get a chance to hear about his parents will, and have it read to him.

"Hmm, it seems that we'll have to make a trip to Gringotts at some point before you go to the Weasleys," Cyrus muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, before looking back to Harry. "I will get in contact with the Goblins and request an audience with the Potter Family Account Manager. When our request is granted, Elizabeth will go with you, and make a request on your behalf to have your parents will read, if you agree to it Harry."

Harry looked at his godmother, who nodded at him, and then looked back at Cyrus. He nodded his head, indicating that he agreed to Cyrus' plan, and would go along with it. Cyrus nodded back, internally pleased that Harry was going along with the plan.

"Good, now then, let's take our minds off of the depressing stories, and enjoy the dinner." He said, smiling at everyone at the table, who smiled back.

Harry turned his mind to hearing the stories of everyone else, often sharing his thoughts on certain topics such as the treatment of Muggleborns in the general Magic community, to the unfair treatment to werewolves like Remus Lupin. Harry would learn of how it was a woman in the Ministry named Dolores Umbridge, who was also the senior undersecretary to Minister Fudge, who was responsible for the campaigns to demonize and limit the rights of werewolves, and making their lives difficult, which only served to make people like Remus to be unable get by in life. Harry made a vow to himself, that if he somehow managed to get in a position to do so, he would help Remus, and try to put a stop to the Ministry's campaign against people like Remus. With families like the Greengrasses, Davis, and Zabinis, he was sure that he would be able to do so.

**_(Author's Note: I believe I remembered the general events of the first three books, but if I somehow forgot something and left it out, please let me know, and I'll edit this chapter to include it. Also, I don't know if Blaise Zabini actually has a middle name, so I just gave him one, and I gotta admit, Blaise Alexander Zabini actually has a nice ring to it.)_**


End file.
